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Adam in the News

December 04, 2015

Feds probe possible terrorism links in San Bernardino massacre (Los Angeles Times)

Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the heavily armed couple who authorities say unleashed volleys of gunfire on a holiday party in San Bernardino, had amassed an armory of weapons and explosives in their Redlands home, including a dozen pipe bombs and thousands of rounds of ammunition, officials said Thursday. The arsenal suggested a level of planning that added to investigators' concern that Wednesday's shootings, which left 14 dead and 21 injured, were far more than a spontaneous … Continue Reading


December 04, 2015

Ranking member of House Intelligence Committee says feds still have no evidence that Farook was 'radicalized' (Los Angeles Times)

Investigators are still trying to identify the motive behind the shooting rampage in San Bernardino on Wednesday, and whether the two assailants had any links to terrorism. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the ranking minority member of the House Intelligence Committee who has been briefed on the investigation, said Thursday that federal agents have yet to turn up evidence that Farook was "radicalized." Schiff said the FBI and other federal investigators are "looking at everyone they can … Continue Reading


December 04, 2015

Dem senator wants to bolster airport security (The Hill)

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is planning to introduce legislation bolster airport security after a Russian airliner crash was tied to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). "In this age of terrorism, we can't afford to make any mistakes," the Florida Democrat said in a statement. The proposal, which is focused on internal airport security, comes after U.S. officials told ABC News last month that information intercepted from ISIS indicated that the terrorist group was in touch with … Continue Reading


December 04, 2015

A worldwide war has landed in San Bernardino -- now what? (Los Angeles Times)

It's war in the 21st century, and it's an ugly reality that unfortunately we are going to be plagued with for some time." Those are the words of Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank, the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. I spoke to Schiff by phone on Friday morning, just after federal officials announced that one of the San Bernardino shooters had declared allegiance to Islamic State before the slaughter of innocent civilians. That news was the most … Continue Reading


December 03, 2015

Democrats to GOP: Prayers are not enough (Politico)

Democrats are scolding their Republican colleagues for not backing up their calls for "thoughts and prayers" with real action that could curb the gun violence plaguing the United States. As Americans are still trying to make sense of Wednesday's massacre in San Bernardino, California, that killed 14 and injured another 17, Democratic voices are saying enough with the platitudes. Appearing on CNN's "New Day" on Thursday morning, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said he is through with moments … Continue Reading


December 03, 2015

Congress Shifts Attention to America’s Role in the World (New York Times)

WASHINGTON - The Paris attacks and the escalation of military action in Syria have thrust national security to the forefront of congressional concerns, pushing aside domestic issues that have dominated Capitol Hill for years. This week, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have introduced legislation that would impose new visa restrictions on visitors who have traveled to Syria or Iraq. That effort comes on the heels of a measure passed by the House to halt a Syrian refugee … Continue Reading


December 03, 2015

Another day, another massacre (Los Angeles Times)

A day without a deadly rampage is now a day to celebrate. Yesterday was not such a day. And then the drama unfolds and your heart goes out to the victims, slaughtered at a holiday celebration, by cold-blooded assassins. You think about the impossible struggle ahead for the loved ones they left behind - their spouses, children, parents, brothers and sisters. You sift through your own feelings of anger, helplessness and fear, knowing that mass shootings have happened before, … Continue Reading


December 03, 2015

Caution Urged on Terrorism as Motive (New York Times)

Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, cautioned after receiving a briefing from the F.B.I. that it was still too soon to say that terrorism motivated the shootings. "I don't think we know enough yet to conclude they were radicalized or there was a terrorism motive," Mr. Schiff said in a telephone interview. "It's possible that's where we could end up, or it's a well-planned-out act of workplace violence. Or a mix of the … Continue Reading


December 02, 2015

Top Dem: 'Time is not on our side’ with ISIS (The Hill)

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that the Obama administration is running out of time for defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). "Frankly, I think we're going to ultimately see that more is going to have to be done," he said on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports." "You need a lot of special operators to maintain a certain tempo, to be able to not only capture or kill the targets, but also exploit intelligence and then use that exploited intelligence to do another … Continue Reading


December 01, 2015

Will Congress Finally Declare War on ISIS? (The Atlantic)

When Senator Lindsey Graham introduces a new authorization for the use of military force against the Islamic State, as he's expected to do shortly, it'll be a high-profile reminder to Republican voters that he'd like to be the most hawkish candidate in the 2016 primary field. What it won't be is a groundbreaking move to empower President Obama to take down the terrorist group, even after November's attacks in Paris raised the stakes. That's not just because Graham's AUMF will be more … Continue Reading


December 01, 2015

House passes intelligence bill with policy guidelines (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House has passed a bill authorizing a 7 percent spending increase for intelligence agencies and presses President Barack Obama to produce a strategy to defeat the Islamic State. The bill, passed Tuesday by a vote of 364 to 58, must be reconciled with a similar measure pending in the Senate. The bill authorizes spending at a level that is 7 percent higher than the current year's budget, according to a House fact sheet. Most of the measure is classified. The … Continue Reading


November 26, 2015

Caring for Our Nation’s Veterans (Crescenta Valley Weekly)

Earlier this month, we took time to pause and thank our nation's veterans for their service and the brave sacrifices they have made for this country. At the same time, we reflected on how much remains to be done to support our service members when they leave the Armed Forces. And when it comes to the continuing health care needs of our veterans, it is plain we have far to go to ensure that they get the care they need and deserve. In 2014, the nation was appalled to discover that a Phoenix … Continue Reading


November 25, 2015

Obama Seeks to Reassure Skeptical Public on ISIS Fight (New York Times)

WASHINGTON - After meeting with his national security team, President Obama headed from the Situation Room upstairs to a bank of waiting cameras to reassure the nation on Wednesday that it had nothing to fear as it headed into the Thanksgiving weekend. But there was a subtext to his televised statement as well. He wanted the country to know that he does, in fact, feel its anxiety in the wake of theattacks in Paris and that he does, in fact, have a plan for defeating the terrorists of the … Continue Reading


November 24, 2015

'The Long War' Is Being Waged in the Passive Voice: Eli Lake (Bloomberg Government)

After the terror in Paris, most Democrats and Republicans agree that America should end the Islamic State. Even the socialist Democrat, Bernie Sanders, has called on America to lead a coalition to rid the world of this caliphate. So one might think Congress would get around to actually declaring war against the proto-state that has terrorized France and Lebanon in the last month. So far, this hasn't happened. After President Barack Obama offered Congress in February a limited war resolution … Continue Reading


November 23, 2015

No easy or simple solutions for encryption (Washington Examiner)

The fever-pitched debate over "encryption" that erupted in the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks may subside just as quickly, as lawmakers and other policymakers grapple with the difficult realities of trying to craft rules in this space. In a nutshell, technology companies and privacy advocates say any U.S. requirement that encrypted products - like smartphones - contain a "back door" allowing access in some circumstances will be exploited by other countries such as China, by cyber … Continue Reading


November 21, 2015

Pentagon Expands Inquiry Into Intelligence on ISIS Surge (New York Times)

WASHINGTON - When Islamic State fighters overran a string of Iraqi cities last year, analysts at United States Central Command wrote classified assessments for military intelligence officials and policy makers that documented the humiliating retreat of the Iraqi Army. But before the assessments were final, former intelligence officials said, the analysts' superiors made significant changes. In the revised documents, the Iraqi Army had not retreated at all. The soldiers had simply … Continue Reading


November 19, 2015

Obama’s Dem Allies Revolt Over Syria (Daily Beast)

Following the Paris terrorist attacks and a renewed sense of urgency to combat the threat, President Barack Obama is facing a national security revolt from within his own Democratic ranks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, became the most visible component of this trend Thursday, delivering a foreign policy speech in New York City that was notable for how much more hawkish her policy proposals were than the administration she served. "It is time to begin a new phase and intensify and … Continue Reading


November 18, 2015

Top Democrat breaks with Obama on Islamic State (Yahoo News)

Breaking with President Obama, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee called Wednesday for creating a "safe zone" inside Syria as part of an escalated campaign to thwart potential Islamic State attacks on the United States. "We see ISIS branching out in places around the world, and it is a growing menace," Rep. Adam Schiff of California told Yahoo News in an interview broadcast on Sirius XM, using another name for the terrorist army. "Until we successfully evaporate that … Continue Reading


November 17, 2015

In the aftermath of Paris, how will California move forward with refugees? (KPCC Take Two)

In the aftermath of the Paris attacks some U.S. governors are threatening to block efforts to relocate Syrian refugees in their states. Gov. Jerry Brown says that California will follow President Barack Obama's lead and will remain committed to accepting Syrian refugees while ensuring a thorough and secure vetting process for these refugees. Representative and Intelligence Committee ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called in to Take Two to further explain California's stance when … Continue Reading


November 17, 2015

U.S. lawmaker says Paris attacks highlight encryption concerns (Reuters)

Nov 17 U.S. lawmakers said on Tuesday it was likely that new, difficult to break "end-to-end" encryption technologies were used by individuals in Belgium, France and Syria involved in the Paris attacks last week. "We can't tell you today specifically that they were using a specific encrypted platform. We think that's a likely communication tool because we didn't pick up any direct communication (before the attacks)," said Republican Senator Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence … Continue Reading

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