Critical Releases in Homeland Security: December 1, 2021

From the Document: "The global spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) created fertile ground for attempts to influence and destabilize different populations and countries. In response to this, RAND Corporation researchers conducted a proof-of-concept study for detecting these efforts at scale. Marrying a large-scale collection pipeline for global news with machine-learning and data analysis workflows, the RAND team found that both Russia and China appear to have employed information manipulation during the COVID-19 pandemic in service to their respective global agendas. This report is the second in a series of two reports; the first (Matthews, Migacheva, and Brown, 2021) focused on qualitative and descriptive analysis of the same data referred to in this report. Here, we describe our analytic workflows for detecting and documenting state-sponsored malign and subversive information efforts, and we report quantitative results that support the qualitative findings from the first report. [...] As part of our analysis, we searched for both differences and similarities in the topics discussed by Russian, Chinese, and Western news media, and we found that conspiracy theories and geopolitical posturing were relatively common in Russian and Chinese news articles compared with Western (U.S. and UK) articles. The work we describe here lays the foundation for a robust protective capability that detects and sheds light on state-actor information manipulation and misconduct in the global arena."

From the Overview: "On October 8, 2021, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published a 'Federal Register' notice seeking comments on whether to reopen the process by which U.S. stakeholders may apply for exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on U.S. imports from China. Specifically, the agency is requesting comments on whether to reinstate 549 exclusions that were previously extended and have now expired or are set to expire in the coming weeks. Some of these exclusions cover products with known or potential medical uses related to the U.S. response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The USTR is to collect comments through its portal until December 1, 2021. Separately, in light of the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant this summer and developments in the production capacity of U.S.-based manufacturers to satisfy various national needs, the USTR recently concluded a review of public comments on whether 99 current exclusions on medical-care and/or COVID-19 response products needed to be further extended for six months ('COVID-19 Review'). In response to these comments and the advice from advisory committees, the interagency Section 301 Committee, and the White House COVID-19 Response Team, the USTR determined on November 9 to provide a transition period for all COVID-19 exclusions set to expire on November 14 (through November 30) and to extend 81 of the 99 COVID-19 exclusions through May 31, 2022."

From the Highlights: "The Communications Sector, one of 16 critical infrastructure sectors, is vital to the United States. Its incapacitation or destruction could have a debilitating impact on the safety and security of our nation. The private sector owns and operates the majority of communications infrastructure, including broadcast, cable, satellite, wireless, and wireline systems and networks. DHS's CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] is the lead federal agency responsible for supporting the security and resilience of the sector. GAO [Government Accountability Office] examined (1) the security threats CISA has identified to the sector, (2) how CISA supports the sector, and (3) the extent to which CISA has assessed its support and emergency preparedness for the sector. GAO reviewed DHS reports, plans, and risk assessments on the sector and interviewed CISA officials and private sector stakeholders to identify and evaluate CISA's actions to support the security and resilience of the Communications Sector. [...] GAO is making three recommendations to CISA, including that CISA assess the effectiveness of its support to the Communications Sector, and revise its 'Communications Sector-Specific Plan.' The Department of Homeland Security concurred with the recommendations. The Department of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission did not provide comments on the draft report."

From the Summary: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] viral pandemic is an unprecedented global phenomenon that is also a highly personal experience with wide-ranging effects. On September 20, 2021, U.S. viral deaths surpassed the 675,446 total from the 1918 Spanish flu, the previously worst U.S. pandemic-related death total on record. The pandemic has disrupted lives across all countries and communities and negatively affected global economic growth in 2020 beyond anything experienced in nearly a century. Estimates indicate the virus reduced global economic growth in 2020 to an annualized rate of around -3.2%, with a recovery of 5.9% projected for 2021. Global trade is estimated to have fallen by 5.3% in 2020, but is projected to grow by 8.0% in 2021. According to a consensus of forecasts, the economic downturn in 2020 was not as negative as initially estimated, due in part to the fiscal and monetary policies governments adopted in 2020. In most countries, economic growth fell sharply in the second quarter of 2020, rebounded quickly in the third quarter, and has been mostly positive since. Although lessening, the total global economic effects continue to mount."