CLARIFICATION: Parts of this story were rephrased to clarify that the United States does not send nuclear weapons to Israel or any other nation. (12:32 p.m. MDT, July 8, 2024)

A Knoxville-based environmental group is sounding the alarm about the country's increased spending on weapons being deployed in defense of Israel.

The proposed U.S. defense budget allocates over $60 billion for nuclear weapons programs, a 4% increase over the previous year.

Tanvi Kardile with the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance said a $14 billion package was passed recently to provide additional weapons to Israel.

The alliance isn't taking sides in the conflict in Gaza, and supports calls for divestment from all nuclear weapons.

"The U.S. budget for weapons just keeps getting higher and higher each year," said Kardile. "This year, there's an $850 billion defense budget. And this has gone up by 31% from last year, and $69 billion of those would go for nuclear weapons operations."

U.S. policy is not to send American nuclear weapons to any other nation. And although most experts say Israel has its own nuclear arms, the nation has never admitted it.

American nuclear arms - including submarine missiles - have been deployed in the Mediterranean and could be used in defense of Israel. The U.S. also supplies it with extensive, conventional weapons.

Kardile said the alliance sees the increase in spending as a taxpayer burden, and notes the government could be using those dollars for healthcare, education, public transportation, and fighting homelessness - which would help people in Tennessee and across the country.

Besides the tax implications, Kardile said her group is concerned with the ongoing risks closer to home - tied to enriching uranium and other activities at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

She added that the projected cost of expanding the facility is up to $9.3 billion.

"It's also a big burden on the people of Tennessee because it is a public health risk, environmental risk as well," said Kardile. "So, this issue directly affects Tennesseans."

The U.S. Department of Energy says the Y-12 complex "plays a key role in strengthening national security," and that nuclear weapons are a deterrent to the nation's enemies.

But Kardile said major defense contractors have seen their stock prices skyrocket as they continue to profit from the war in Gaza, and from weapons sales in general.

A former White House cyber-security expert is warning of potential cyber attacks on critical infrastructure.

Former Principal Deputy National Cyber Director Jake Braun was in Arizona recently to talk about the threat.

He's now the Executive Director of the Harris School of Public Policy Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago.

He said during his time at the Biden White House, he dealt with escalating cyber threats from China and other nation-states targeting water and energy utilities.

"They are very deliberately targeting specific water utilities, specific energy operators and so on - that are civilian but support military installations," said Braun, "so that if we go to war, they've kind of seeded the battlefield so to speak with malware."

Braun said nationwide there are about 50,000 water utilities, but only a few hundred support military operations.

He added that while the federal government is focused on safeguarding those, the majority fall through the cracks.

Braun said he's working with the National Rural Water Association to recruit cyber-volunteers that'll provide free cybersecurity support to local water utilities.

Braun said cybercriminals could hack utilities because they want a ransom. He said those cases are increasing, and start primarily in Russia and other Eastern European countries.

But he added that countries like China are wanting to infiltrate and weaken critical infrastructure.

While Braun was sounding the alarm, he was also advocating for solutions. He said the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides billions of dollars to revamp water infrastructure.

"And many water utilities aren't even requesting the funds," said Braun. "So the funds are there, they're available and water utilities often don't even know they can request the funds for that. And that is true for many other critical infrastructure."

Braun said he understands that money isn't enough. He added that some water utilities are in such remote, rural areas, they'll struggle to find cyber security experts.

But he said that's where the cyber volunteer program, Project Franklin, comes in.

"Volunteer programs like this one," said Braun, "are going to be really what's available to them for the foreseeable future."




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President-elect Donald Trump has named Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as his nominee for Secretary of State, prompting experts to assess Rubio's credentials and potential effect on U.S. relations with Latin America.

While some see his experience on the Senate Intelligence Committee as an asset, others are skeptical of his shifting positions and limited focus on the region.

Susan MacManus, distinguished professor emerita of political science at the University of South Florida, said Rubio is very experienced at international politics and able to articulate it in an understandable way when engaging with the press.

"Rubio makes a lot of sense as an appointment for Trump because of his appearance and his insight into foreign policy as a consequence of sitting on the Senate Intelligence Committee for quite a while," MacManus pointed out. "He is very experienced at international politics."

Rubio is a one-time critic of Trump turned fierce advocate. He is known for being a hawk on China, Cuba and Iran. Rubio's knowledge of South American politics could address what some see as a long-standing oversight in that region. However, some experts said the area is far more complex than Rubio's narrow focus on issues in Cuba and Venezuela.

Adriana Novoa, professor of Latin American history at the University of South Florida, questioned Rubio's consistency and depth on foreign policy while noting his anti-China positions.

"The reality is that the biggest presence economically in Latin America are China, Russia and South Africa, so they are moving away From the U.S.," Novoa explained. "Foreign policy only focused on the problems of Venezuela and Cuba will not cut it."

Novoa expects Rubio will have a difficult time on the job if he fails to address larger regional economic and political shifts.

Meanwhile, MacManus expects with Rubio at the helm, the U.S. will pay increased attention to South America, particularly to counter China's growing influence.

"For years now, people have complained that continent has been ignored," MacManus observed. "Meanwhile, there's been a lot of influx and money rolling into South American countries from Iran, Russia, China, for example, all of whom are becoming part of a growing coalition that's sort of counter to the American and European coalition."

Novoa thinks navigating such issues requires more skills, as she does not think Rubio is gifted or consistent enough on foreign policy issues.

"Not because he doesn't have the capacity but he switched so much his positions since when I first started following him," Novoa noted. "He was kind of a hawkish, classic Republican, and since then he has switched a lot to adjust to the political balance of the party, so I don't know, really."

With Rubio expected to leave his coveted Senate seat for a role in the Trump administration, all eyes are on Gov. Ron DeSantis to see whom he will choose as a replacement or placeholder, as many anticipate DeSantis's own eventual transition to the Senate at the end of his term.


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As college anti-war protests enter a second school year, students are maintaining pressure on administrators to cut all financial ties with the Israeli government.

Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to all weapons research funded by Israeli defense contractor, Elbit.

Recent MIT graduate Andrew Feldman, who is Jewish and is a member of MIT Jews for Collective Liberation, said it's important for people of conscience to speak out against the war.

"We're going to keep working," said Feldman, "and we hope that institutions will start to recognize this terrible genocide, and war crimes that Israel is committing on the Palestinians."

Feldman said MIT should also end partnerships with Maersk, a shipping and logistics company critical to the Israeli war effort.

MIT students celebrated the recent closure of an industry-backed fund for weapons research as a win, but MIT officials maintain the fund was already due to expire.

Some have criticized the campus pro-Palestinian protests as anti-Semitic, and said Israel has the right to defend itself as it sees fit.

The White House has expressed frustration that the right-wing Israeli government and the leadership of Hamas have refused to reach a ceasefire. But protest groups argue U.S. arms are enabling the war.

Continued student protests at Brown University in neighboring Rhode Island convinced administrators to bring a divestment proposal to a vote at Brown Corporation Board's meeting next month.

Students aim to cut school ties with at least ten companies providing Israel with weapons and surveillance systems.

Mica Maltzman is a senior and member of the campus group, BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now. She said students are busy compiling testimony and preparing to make their case.

"It's both an urgent issue and it feels like a morally pertinent issue on our campus right now," said Maltzman, "letting the corporation know that this isn't just like some group of radical students pushing for divestment, but like a large majority."

Maltzman said Brown has a long history of student protest, including a student-led divestment campaign against the former apartheid government in South Africa - but that administrators have been less supportive of dissent against Israel.

She said knowing thousands of students in Gaza can no longer attend college there, it's hard not to wake up and think about it everyday.

Israel began its war against Hamas after the militant group attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 Israelis while another 250 people were taken hostage.

Since then, more than 40,000 Palestinians, have been killed by the Israeli military, according to health authorities.




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