| Here's What's Happening With The Dreamer Program That Helped Lead To A Shutdown Posted: 20 Jan 2018 03:36 PM PST  WASHINGTON ― There are a few massive disconnects as Congress and the White House spar over a plan to reopen the government, but one of the biggest is whether relief for young undocumented immigrants, which Democrats are demanding in a deal, is an urgent problem.
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| Clergy Abuse Advocates Fear Pope Francis Is Making It Harder For Victims To Speak Up Posted: 19 Jan 2018 06:42 PM PST  When Joelle Casteix heard Pope Francis accuse sex abuse victims in Chile of slander, the pontiff's words hit close to home.
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| Mental health expert slams Trump’s cognitive exam, calls for further testing Posted: 20 Jan 2018 04:15 AM PST  White House physician Ronny Jackson attested to the president's mental fitness during a long press conference with reporters earlier this week and explained how he aced a cognitive exam, but the results did not satisfy all experts.
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| Canadian billionaire and his wife were murdered, private investigators say Posted: 21 Jan 2018 08:34 AM PST  A billionaire and his wife found dead side-by-side were both murdered, a report by private investigators has said.
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| House Ethics Committee Drops Republican Over Taxpayer-Funded Harassment Settlement Posted: 20 Jan 2018 05:14 PM PST  A Republican tasked with fighting against sexual harassment in Congress secretly settled a misconduct complaint filed against him by a former aide, The New York Times first reported Saturday.
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| China says US warship violated sovereignty near Scarborough Posted: 20 Jan 2018 03:26 AM PST  BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government on Saturday accused the U.S. of trespassing in its territorial waters when a U.S. guided missile destroyer sailed near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
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| The women who marched in 2018 Posted: 20 Jan 2018 02:37 PM PST  One year into President Trump's administration, another Women's March. Here are scenes from the New York City event.
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| Manifestaciones masivas en la segunda Marcha de las Mujeres Posted: 21 Jan 2018 09:29 AM PST ![Manifestaciones masivas en la segunda Marcha de las Mujeres]( "Manifestaciones masivas en la segunda Marcha de las Mujeres") Miles de personas participan en la "Marcha de las mujeres, en Washington, EEUU. EFE
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| Paul Ryan Declines To Say If He'll Run For Another Term In Congress Posted: 21 Jan 2018 09:02 AM PST  House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Sunday he wasn't planning on leaving Congress any time soon, but he also didn't disclose whether he will serve another term in the House of Representatives.
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| Anti-Abortion Harassment Goes Way Beyond Picketing Clinics Posted: 21 Jan 2018 02:46 AM PST  "Can I pray for you?" a woman asked after I shared my abortion story at the Women's March Convention in Detroit last year.
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| Saudi Arabia calls for extending non-OPEC cooperation Posted: 21 Jan 2018 12:20 AM PST  Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh on Sunday called for extending cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers beyond 2018 after a deal to shore up crude prices. This is the first time OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia explicitly calls for extending a 2016 deal between oil producers to cut back production to combat a global oil glut.
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| This Flu Season Is The Worst Possible Time For A Government Shutdown Posted: 19 Jan 2018 05:52 PM PST  Flu cases are continuing to rise in the U.S., with some states, such as California, seeing record numbers of patients seeking medical attention.
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| California community makes recovery strides after mudslide Posted: 19 Jan 2018 06:17 PM PST  MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) — The key highway along the California coast has been cleared of debris and is a few days from reopening while the search is widening from three people still missing after a massive mudslide, authorities said Friday.
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| Rev. Franklin Graham: If Trump succeeds, we all succeed Posted: 21 Jan 2018 06:51 AM PST  Samaritan's Purse president discusses the president's first year in office.
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| North Korea Almost Started a Nuclear War When It Captured a U.S. Spy Ship Posted: 21 Jan 2018 06:53 AM PST  Many of the Pueblo's crew went on to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and lifelong physical injuries. Over time, however, the crewmembers put up their own website testifying to their experiences, successfully lobbied for status as prisoners of war after it was initially denied to them, and sued North Korea in U.S. court for their treatment. As for the Pueblo itself, technically the second oldest ship still commissioned in the U.S. Navy, it remains in North Korean custody to this day.
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| Cable News Chyrons Tell The Bizarre Story Of Trump's First Year In Office Posted: 20 Jan 2018 02:18 PM PST  Donald Trump has officially completed one full year as president, and holy moly what a year it's been.
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| Iraqi parliament postpones vote on election date Posted: 20 Jan 2018 04:45 AM PST ![Iraqi parliament postpones vote on election date]( "Iraqi parliament postpones vote on election date") Iraq's parliament failed on Saturday to approve May 12 as the election date, as suggested by the government, as Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers demanded a delay to allow hundreds of thousands of war-displaced people to return home. Shi'ite politicians, including Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, insist on holding the election as planned on May 12, saying a delay would be against the constitution. Speaking after Saturday's session in Baghdad, Parliamentary Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, a Sunni, expressed hope that parliament would be able to vote on an election date by Monday, state TV reported.
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| Turpin family home was 'littered with faeces and dead cats and dogs' Posted: 21 Jan 2018 10:31 AM PST  Former Texan neighbours of David and Louise Turpin, the American couple whose 13 children were discovered chained and malnourished last week, have described a previous home littered with faeces, dead animals and a makeshift classroom. Ricky Vinyard, a tree feller from Rio Vista also told how one Christmas eight bikes arrived but remained untouched outside until they bleached in the sun. And that one of the daughters once ran away from home, only to be returned to her parents by another local resident. "It was waist-deep in filth. There were dead dogs and cats in there," he told the Los Angeles Times. He described how he found two Chihuahuas that had survived by eating waste from a mound of soiled nappies in a trailer behind the property where the children slept. "There were no beds, just mattresses." Inside the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home he said that: "There wasn't a place that wasn't filthy. "Everything had locks on it: the closet had locks, the toy chest, the refrigerator." The Turpin parents have pleaded not guilty to charges of turture Credit: Damian Dovarganes/ Damian Dovarganes Source: AP The couple, David 56 and Louise, 49, claimed to home-school their children, and the faeces-littered living room included eight small desks, a chalkboard, alphabet and number signs stapled to the wall. The family lived in the rural neighbourhood, south of Dallas with eight children from approximately 2000 to 2004 before they abandoned the property and moved to Perris in California. There, last week, both were each charged with multiple counts of torture, child abuse, the abuse of dependent adults and false imprisonment relating to the children aged from two to 29. They pleaded not guilty to all counts and are being held in custody on $9 million bail each. (£6.5m) David Turpin was also charged with one count of a lewd act on a child by force. If convicted, they face up to 94 years to life in prison. Facebook photos showed the family visited Las Vegas and Disneyland The new revelations came as a California politician began drafting legislation to give greater oversight of home-schooled children, in a bid to prevent a repeat of the horrors. Jose Medina told The Telegraph: "What happened in the city of Perris was tragic, and it was horrific. And I would like to try to do everything I can to ensure that it doesn't happen again." The Turpins' 13 children, aged between two and 29, had all, except the eldest, been exclusively home-schooled - meaning that, under California law, there was no outside contact. "One of the reasons this went undetected was because the parents could keep the children hidden from the public," said Mr Medina. "So I'm looking at what the state can do, so that kids can no longer be kept in captivity."Two million children in the US are home-schooled, representing three per cent of all American youngsters, according to the Mike Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). The trend began in the 1970s, he told The Telegraph, but has increased in recent years. By contrast, in the UK only 30,000 children were educated at home in the 2016/17 academic year, out of over eight million.
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| This Is What The Future Of Legal Weed Looks Like Posted: 21 Jan 2018 02:46 AM PST  The green revolution is here ― and it's mostly black, brown and female.
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| US calls on Turkey to 'exercise restraint' in Syria Posted: 21 Jan 2018 09:33 AM PST  The United States called Sunday for Turkey to "exercise restraint" and avoid civilian casualties in its cross-border operation targeting Syrian Kurdish forces. The call came a day after Turkey launched "Operation Olive Branch," an offensive by Ankara's troops and allied Syrian rebels against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in the town of Afrin. "We urge Turkey to exercise restraint and ensure that its military operations remain limited in scope and duration and scrupulous to avoid civilian casualties," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
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| Brash ex-Milwaukee sheriff David Clarke faces civil trial Posted: 21 Jan 2018 08:19 AM PST  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke's run-in with a 25-year-old man who shook his head at him while boarding a flight last year is headed to trial.
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| Sen. Warren: America Can Never Go Back to the Era of Back-Alley Abortions Posted: 21 Jan 2018 12:00 PM PST  Find out why Senator Elizabeth Warren believes 'Roe v. Wade,' which legalized abortion, is important to women's health and economic security.
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| Donald Trump Says Republicans Should Go 'Nuclear' On Federal Budget Posted: 21 Jan 2018 08:44 AM PST  President Donald Trump suggested Sunday that Republican senators should use their majority to bypass Democrats and pass a long-term budget, effectively ending the government shutdown.
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| With 25,339 murders in 2017, Mexico suffers record homicide tally Posted: 21 Jan 2018 12:20 PM PST ![With 25,339 murders in 2017, Mexico suffers record homicide tally]( "With 25,339 murders in 2017, Mexico suffers record homicide tally") There were more than 25,000 murders across drug-ravaged Mexico in 2017, the highest annual tally since modern records began, government data showed. Investigators opened 25,339 murder probes last year, up nearly 25 percent from the 2016 tally, interior ministry data released on Saturday showed. Mexico has struggled with years of violence as the government has battled vicious drug cartels that have increasingly splintered into smaller, more bloodthirsty, gangs.
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| Thai police arrest suspected kingpin of wildlife trafficking Posted: 19 Jan 2018 11:22 PM PST  BANGKOK (AP) — Thai police have arrested a suspected kingpin of wildlife trafficking who allegedly fueled much of Asia's illegal trade for over a decade, officials said Saturday.
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| New Zealand Just Became The 11th Country To Send A Rocket Into Orbit Posted: 21 Jan 2018 06:41 AM PST  New Zealand successfully launched a rocket into orbit on Sunday, becoming the 11th country to achieve the feat.
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| Germany's centre-left backs formal coalition talks with Merkel Posted: 21 Jan 2018 10:32 AM PST  Germany's centre-left Social Democrats voted Sunday to begin formal coalition talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, bringing Europe's top economy a step closer to a new government after months of deadlock. At a special party congress in the western city of Bonn, 372 out of 642 delegates (56 percent) backed SPD chief Martin Schulz's appeal to approve a preliminary coalition deal painstakingly hammered out with Merkel's CDU/CSU bloc. The veteran chancellor, in power for more than 12 years, said she welcomed the SPD's green light but warned that there were "many issues left to work out".
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| Scott Pruitt’s First Year Set The EPA Back Anywhere From A Few Years To 3 Decades Posted: 20 Jan 2018 05:00 AM PST  Shortly after taking office, Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt set out to permanently limit the agency's regulatory power in what he billed as a "Back to Basics" agenda focusing on cleaning up toxic waste and providing safe drinking water ― but not curbing new industrial pollution.
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| Alison Brie Talks Allegations Against Brother-In-Law James Franco At SAG Awards Posted: 21 Jan 2018 04:44 PM PST  Alison Brie addressed the sexual misconduct allegations waged against her brother-in-law James Franco during a red carpet interview at the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards, saying that anyone who "feels victimized should and does have the right to speak out and come forward."
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| With just 3 students, small-town high school closing down Posted: 21 Jan 2018 06:17 AM PST  ROCHESTER, Vt. (AP) — With just three students left attending high school here, junior Kimberly Taylor moves from one empty classroom to the next, taking mostly online classes or studying alone.
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| See Photos From 2018 Women's Marches Around the World Posted: 20 Jan 2018 02:06 PM PST  It's the demonstration's second anniversary
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| How Donald Trump will Reverse Obama's Failed Foreign Policy Strategy Posted: 19 Jan 2018 06:20 PM PST  There are some hopeful signs that the Trump administration will pursue more traditional national-security goals and stop hammering conservative allies. President Obama's foreign policy was notable for headline-grabbing deals with enemies such as Iran and Cuba, and the abandonment of dissidents there and elsewhere.
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| 2 Americans, 2 Canadians freed after kidnapping in Nigeria, police say Posted: 20 Jan 2018 07:06 AM PST  Two Americans and two Canadians who were kidnapped in Nigeria's north-central Kaduna state on Tuesday have been freed.
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| Texas judge pushes jury for acquittal in child trafficking case, saying God told him to do it Posted: 20 Jan 2018 08:26 AM PST  District judge Jack Robison interrupted jurors' deliberations to say they should not convict 32-year-old Gloria Elizabeth Romero Perez. Judge Robison then reportedly recused himself for the remainder of proceedings. Perez, of Buda, Texas, was convicted anyway on one count of continuous traffic of a person and jailed for 25 years, the site said.
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| Ed Sheeran Is Engaged To Childhood Friend Cherry Seaborn Posted: 20 Jan 2018 01:23 PM PST  Ed Sheeran announced his engagement to girlfriend Cherry Seaborn on Saturday in an Instagram post that was pretty darn adorable.
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| Twitter to notify users exposed to Russian propaganda during U.S. elections Posted: 19 Jan 2018 07:18 PM PST ![Twitter to notify users exposed to Russian propaganda during U.S. elections]( "Twitter to notify users exposed to Russian propaganda during U.S. elections") The company said it would email 677,775 people in the United States who followed, retweeted or liked content from accounts associated with the Internet Research Agency (IRA) during the election. The IRA is a Russian organization that according to lawmakers and researchers, employs hundreds of people to push pro-Kremlin content under phony social media accounts. Twitter added that because it has already suspended these accounts, the relevant content is no longer publicly available on its platform.
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| Mick Mulvaney finds himself in middle of another shutdown Posted: 21 Jan 2018 06:37 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Mick Mulvaney stormed Washington as a tea party lawmaker elected in 2010, and he hasn't mellowed much as director of the Office of Management of Budget at the White House.
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| Football Fans Lose Faith In Humanity As Patriots Head To Another Super Bowl Posted: 21 Jan 2018 04:27 PM PST  Football fans were utterly distressed Sunday night as the New England Patriots secured a spot in yet another Super Bowl.
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| 12-Year-Old Boy With Flu-Like Symptoms Dies After Virus Test Comes Back Negative Posted: 20 Jan 2018 10:33 AM PST  His family is waiting for the autopsy results.
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| Turkish Jets Bomb Kurdish-Controlled Syrian City of Afrin Posted: 20 Jan 2018 09:22 AM PST  Erdogan promised to expand operations against a group allied with the U.S.
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| Nevertheless, She Persisted: A Year After The First Women's March, Energy Is Still High Posted: 20 Jan 2018 04:52 PM PST  NEW YORK ― Marsha Annon and Yong Lee didn't attend the 2017 Women's March on Washington.
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| Bentley Bentayga plug-in hybrid SUV to debut in March at Geneva auto show Posted: 21 Jan 2018 06:30 AM PST  Unlike rival Rolls-Royce, which may go directly to an all-electric model in future, Bentley has set its sights on plug-in hybrids first—and the Bentayga luxury SUV will be the first one from the brand. The plug-in versions of the Bentley Bentayga is expected to debut in March at the Geneva Motor Show, and will be capable of running solely on battery power and producing zero emissions for short periods of time. A dedicated electric mode will keep the internal combustion engine at bay, though the big, heavy luxury SUV is likely to cover only a mile or so at lower speeds on electric power alone.
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| Records: Las Vegas gunman was germophobe, possibly bipolar Posted: 19 Jan 2018 08:13 PM PST  LAS VEGAS (AP) — After three months of investigation, police have learned more about Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock: He was a high-stakes gambler on a losing streak, obsessed with cleanliness, possibly bipolar and was having difficulties with his live-in girlfriend.
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| S.Africa's ANC vows change as Zuma exit looms Posted: 20 Jan 2018 03:24 AM PST  South Africa's ruling ANC party said Saturday that it "must act decisively" to rebuild its reputation, as local media reported that President Jacob Zuma could soon be forced to leave office. Zuma has been under growing pressure to resign since he was replaced as head of the African National Congress (ANC) in December by his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa. Zuma's presidency has been engulfed by corruption scandals and a weakening economy, with the party losing public support ahead of next year's general election.
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| Endangered orangutan shot before being decapitated in Indonesia Posted: 20 Jan 2018 02:41 AM PST ![Endangered orangutan shot before being decapitated in Indonesia]( "Endangered orangutan shot before being decapitated in Indonesia") A critically endangered Bornean orangutan found dead in Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province on Monday died three days earlier from air rifle wounds before it was decapitated, Indonesia's Centre for Orangutan Protection said. A necropsy carried out by police and the center found 17 air rifle bullets in the male orangutan corpse, "proving" it died because of humans, said Ramadhani, the center's habitat protection manager. "Our strong suspicion is that this orangutan died because it was shot using an air rifle through the heart, lungs and stomach," he said in a statement on the center's website.
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| Pentagon’s proposed nuclear strategy elevates cyberattacks to a terrifying new realm Posted: 20 Jan 2018 05:00 AM PST  It's the fall of 2019 and America is paralyzed. A wave of cyberattacks have crippled America's banks, sent a blackout rolling across the East Coast, and disabled almost all U.S. internet infrastructure. America's response is nuclear. A submarine off the coast of North Korea launches ballistic missiles at the tiny, reclusive country, marking the first use of nuclear weapons in battle since 1945. In response, China and Russia prepare for war, and the world watches as an all-out nuclear exchange is suddenly a very real proposition. This scenario, previously impossible, would be just one of the many that the U.S. government would have to prepare for under the Pentagon's new proposals for how to respond to cyberattacks. The recently released draft of the Pentagon's proposed nuclear strategy shows an administration bullish on nuclear weapons — even for "non-nuclear" attacks like a cyberattack or hack. This is the first time a U.S. administration has sought to enshrine in policy that cyberattacks against America could result in nuclear war. Experts warn this is a dangerous, slippery slope toward a nuclear exchange that, once started, is difficult to limit or stop. Richard A. Clarke, former national coordinator for security, infrastructure protection and counter-terrorism under President George W. Bush, said the proposed policy is, in a word, insane. "I think it's cavalier to expand the concept of nuclear weapons use," he said. "It's insane, actually." Clarke was quick to point out that cyberattacks can never match the potential fatalities of a nuclear bomb. "I think there is a very dangerous policy move to expand the scope of things that would allow us to use nuclear weapons," he said. "Nuclear weapons is a last resort — not something we should contemplate doing unless we absolutely have to." On a strategic level it's also flawed, he said. It's too dangerous — the effects of nuclear winter are no joke — and it's not credible to believe the U.S. would respond to something like an infrastructure attack with nukes. "It just makes no sense whatsoever," Clarke said. Joe Cirincione, president of the Ploughshare Fund, called the proposed strategy plans "absurd." In a phone call, the anti-nuclear advocate said a nuclear response would be disproportionate to the threat of a cyberattack. "Under this policy, the Trump administration would feel justified in using nuclear weapons on (Russia meddling in the election)," he said. One part that stood out of the draft report, known as the Nuclear Posture Review, first published in a non-classified form on The Huffington Post, was the mention of "significant non-nuclear strategic attacks." This seems to imply that the U.S. could retaliate with nukes against an attack on U.S. infrastructure, such as the power system. Other methods of retaliation would still be considered, but this is the first time cyberattacks would trigger a nuclear response, as The NewYork Times reported. SEE ALSO: Donald Trump brags his 'nuclear button' is bigger than Kim Jong Un's The prospect of using nuclear weapons against a cyberattack appears extreme but also highlights just how seriously some experts are taking the prospect of modern cyberwar. Cirincione said cyberattacks can be extremely dangerous, but hacks on systems controlling trains, dams or power supplies don't warrant this response. He sees the plan as an attempt to justify more use of nuclear weapons. "If the only tool you have is a nuclear weapon, every mission is a massive threat," he said. Jeffrey Knopf, professor of nonproliferation and terrorism studies at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, said in a phone call the proposal is a terrible idea that's "an excuse to keep and build new nuclear weapons." "Nuclear taboo" has kept nations from nuking each other for decades, but with this plan the U.S. is willing to break that over something like a cyberattack, Knopf said. This proposal is also telling about the administration's struggles to deter cyberwarfare. The Pentagon is essentially "throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks," Knopf said. The White House is still reviewing the strategy and a final version isn't expected for several weeks. The leaked version may change in coming weeks, and ultimately the review is a "wish list," as Knopf called it. For real policy changes to actually come from the updated nuclear guidance, Congress would need to pass budgets and funding. It's not a quick path to implementation. Clarke, the former White House cybersecurity czar, can't fathom how the Trump administration is using cybersecurity for nuclear justification. He says over the years this type of policy has been "rejected by everyone except the lunatic fringe." Maybe so, but like on many policy issues these days, it seems the lunatic fringe has crept into mainstream thinking. WATCH: The most difficult kind of computer systems to hack
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