@spauldingsez.bsky.social
Former Undersecretary at DHS for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure resilience. Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Director of the Defending Democratic Institutions Project. Grandmother.
Reposted
Here's a good recent example of what I mean, where a Democrat pushes back instead of accepting a Trump-friendly distortion as the premise.
Thanks @hankhoffmanct.bsky.social for alerting me to it, @corybooker.com for sharing/praising it, and especially @neguse.house.gov for doing it.
More like this
Thanks @hankhoffmanct.bsky.social for alerting me to it, @corybooker.com for sharing/praising it, and especially @neguse.house.gov for doing it.
More like this
November 1, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Here's a good recent example of what I mean, where a Democrat pushes back instead of accepting a Trump-friendly distortion as the premise.
Thanks @hankhoffmanct.bsky.social for alerting me to it, @corybooker.com for sharing/praising it, and especially @neguse.house.gov for doing it.
More like this
Thanks @hankhoffmanct.bsky.social for alerting me to it, @corybooker.com for sharing/praising it, and especially @neguse.house.gov for doing it.
More like this
"Civics education has moved out of our schools and into the mainstream. We can all help spread critical knowledge about the path our country is on, and we need to do it not just once, but over and over again until the people around us finally understand and become as alarmed as we are."
We all know Trump’s strategy is to try and overwhelm people so they’ll unplug and he can complete his power grab. Here’s how to fight back. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...
Sunday Morning Wrap Up
We’ve had another week where the news—especially legal news and the press of court hearings and rulings—happened at such a breakneck speed that it was hard to keep up.
open.substack.com
August 31, 2025 at 1:29 PM
"Civics education has moved out of our schools and into the mainstream. We can all help spread critical knowledge about the path our country is on, and we need to do it not just once, but over and over again until the people around us finally understand and become as alarmed as we are."
Read why I think the Star Spangled Banner could be an anthem for the resistance: open.substack.com/pub/suzannes...
#4thofJuly
#4thofJuly
Land of the free and home of the brave? An Anthem for the Resistance.
Across the country, as we celebrate Independence Day, Americans will hear their national anthem.
open.substack.com
July 4, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Read why I think the Star Spangled Banner could be an anthem for the resistance: open.substack.com/pub/suzannes...
#4thofJuly
#4thofJuly
On this Flag Day, I am thinking about that question/challenge at the end of our national anthem. We must be brave to be free. Part of our resistance playlist? If you don't think you can sing the entire song, at least join in loudly on this important last line!
#NoKings
#NoKings
June 14, 2025 at 7:43 PM
On this Flag Day, I am thinking about that question/challenge at the end of our national anthem. We must be brave to be free. Part of our resistance playlist? If you don't think you can sing the entire song, at least join in loudly on this important last line!
#NoKings
#NoKings
Still waiting for the investigations and prosecutions of those who are threatening judges across the country...
Comey under investigation for ‘threat’ to Trump on social media, officials say
Comey under investigation for ‘threat’ to Trump on social media, officials say
May 16, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Still waiting for the investigations and prosecutions of those who are threatening judges across the country...
Comey under investigation for ‘threat’ to Trump on social media, officials say
Comey under investigation for ‘threat’ to Trump on social media, officials say
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/o...
"When citizens must think twice about criticizing or opposing the government because they could credibly face government retribution, they no longer live in a full democracy."
"When citizens must think twice about criticizing or opposing the government because they could credibly face government retribution, they no longer live in a full democracy."
Opinion | How Will We Know When We Have Lost Our Democracy?
www.nytimes.com
May 9, 2025 at 12:58 AM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/o...
"When citizens must think twice about criticizing or opposing the government because they could credibly face government retribution, they no longer live in a full democracy."
"When citizens must think twice about criticizing or opposing the government because they could credibly face government retribution, they no longer live in a full democracy."
Reposted
April 29, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted
Check out how the anchors of CBS Evening News ended their broadcast tonight:
April 23, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Check out how the anchors of CBS Evening News ended their broadcast tonight:
On the day the long-time producer of 60 Minutes resigned, I watched "Good Night and Good Luck" tonight on Broadway. George Clooney as CBS' Edward R Murrow taking on Sen Joe McCarthy:
"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. ...
"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. ...
April 23, 2025 at 1:40 AM
On the day the long-time producer of 60 Minutes resigned, I watched "Good Night and Good Luck" tonight on Broadway. George Clooney as CBS' Edward R Murrow taking on Sen Joe McCarthy:
"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. ...
"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. ...
Reposted
🚨"In fact, in the minutes after DOGE accessed the NLRB's systems, someone with an IP address in Russia started trying to log in..."🚨
www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
5 takeaways about NPR's reporting on the whistleblower report about DOGE at the NLRB
Here's a summary of NPR's findings about the report that a whistleblower filed to Congress about how DOGE violated security protocols and could have removed sensitive labor data.
www.npr.org
April 15, 2025 at 4:45 PM
🚨"In fact, in the minutes after DOGE accessed the NLRB's systems, someone with an IP address in Russia started trying to log in..."🚨
www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
A detailed and deeply troubling account of the many dangers DOGE is creating as they rummage around sensitive personal and business data, experiment with untested technologies, and remove security measures designed to keep out enemies and criminals.
A detailed and deeply troubling account of the many dangers DOGE is creating as they rummage around sensitive personal and business data, experiment with untested technologies, and remove security measures designed to keep out enemies and criminals.
A whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data
A whistleblower tells Congress and NPR that DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data and hid its tracks. "None of that ... information should ever leave the agency," said a former NLRB official.
www.npr.org
April 15, 2025 at 4:45 PM
www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
A detailed and deeply troubling account of the many dangers DOGE is creating as they rummage around sensitive personal and business data, experiment with untested technologies, and remove security measures designed to keep out enemies and criminals.
A detailed and deeply troubling account of the many dangers DOGE is creating as they rummage around sensitive personal and business data, experiment with untested technologies, and remove security measures designed to keep out enemies and criminals.
Cory Booker making history with the longest floor speech in US Senate, a record previously held by Strong Thurmond speaking against 1957 Civil Rights Act. Thurmond spoke from fear and hate. Booker speaks from joy and love. He's counting on all of us to stand up and speak out in the same vein.
April 1, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Cory Booker making history with the longest floor speech in US Senate, a record previously held by Strong Thurmond speaking against 1957 Civil Rights Act. Thurmond spoke from fear and hate. Booker speaks from joy and love. He's counting on all of us to stand up and speak out in the same vein.
"The operational emphasis on Signal from multiple threat actors in recent months serves as an important warning for the growing threat to secure messaging applications..."
(Glad USG isn't sharing military ops plans on Signal. Oh, wait...)
thehackernews.com/2025/02/hack...
(Glad USG isn't sharing military ops plans on Signal. Oh, wait...)
thehackernews.com/2025/02/hack...
Hackers Exploit Signal's Linked Devices Feature to Hijack Accounts via Malicious QR Codes
Russian threat actors exploit Signal’s linked devices feature using malicious QR codes to gain persistent access to victims' accounts, Google warns.
thehackernews.com
March 24, 2025 at 8:10 PM
"The operational emphasis on Signal from multiple threat actors in recent months serves as an important warning for the growing threat to secure messaging applications..."
(Glad USG isn't sharing military ops plans on Signal. Oh, wait...)
thehackernews.com/2025/02/hack...
(Glad USG isn't sharing military ops plans on Signal. Oh, wait...)
thehackernews.com/2025/02/hack...
In light of CJ Roberts statement today reinforcing the role of the courts and the appeals process, I'm re-posting this plea for judges to remember that twisting themselves in knots to avoid confrontation is itself abandoning independence. That, too, is a constitutional crisis.
“If the executive branch is determined to provoke a constitutional crisis, then confrontation is inevitable. It is better that the crisis arises from the Court doing its job than from the Court being cowed into submission,” writes Suzanne Spaulding. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/judi...
Judicial Independence May Require Confrontation
SCOTUS cannot avoid a constitutional crisis by avoiding confrontation with the administration.
www.lawfaremedia.org
March 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM
In light of CJ Roberts statement today reinforcing the role of the courts and the appeals process, I'm re-posting this plea for judges to remember that twisting themselves in knots to avoid confrontation is itself abandoning independence. That, too, is a constitutional crisis.
As I explain in the piece below,
"If the executive branch is determined to provoke a constitutional crisis, then confrontation is inevitable. It is better that the crisis arises from the Court doing its job than from the Court being cowed into submission."
"If the executive branch is determined to provoke a constitutional crisis, then confrontation is inevitable. It is better that the crisis arises from the Court doing its job than from the Court being cowed into submission."
March 7, 2025 at 7:43 PM
As I explain in the piece below,
"If the executive branch is determined to provoke a constitutional crisis, then confrontation is inevitable. It is better that the crisis arises from the Court doing its job than from the Court being cowed into submission."
"If the executive branch is determined to provoke a constitutional crisis, then confrontation is inevitable. It is better that the crisis arises from the Court doing its job than from the Court being cowed into submission."
Reposted
The House Homeland Security Committee is meeting right now to, among other things, mark up a GOP bill to expand cyber scholarships. Democrats supported the bill last year, but ranking member Bennie Thompson just urged a "no" vote, citing layoffs at CISA that he says jeopardize the bill's success.
February 26, 2025 at 3:48 PM
The House Homeland Security Committee is meeting right now to, among other things, mark up a GOP bill to expand cyber scholarships. Democrats supported the bill last year, but ranking member Bennie Thompson just urged a "no" vote, citing layoffs at CISA that he says jeopardize the bill's success.
Excellent piece on risks from Musk minions taking over federal IT systems. As former head of what is now CISA at DHS, I worry about their having moved there, given its visibility into all .gov networks. Their goal seems to be data exploitation, not security.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/o...
Opinion | Here Are the Digital Clues to What Musk Is Really Up To
What will DOGE do with access to personal data on almost all Americans?
www.nytimes.com
February 24, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Excellent piece on risks from Musk minions taking over federal IT systems. As former head of what is now CISA at DHS, I worry about their having moved there, given its visibility into all .gov networks. Their goal seems to be data exploitation, not security.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/o...
Reposted
@jsaks.bsky.social is reporting that at least four CTMS hires in "highly technical national security posts" were among the CISA layoffs last week. politi.co/432RDuU
February 18, 2025 at 5:04 PM
@jsaks.bsky.social is reporting that at least four CTMS hires in "highly technical national security posts" were among the CISA layoffs last week. politi.co/432RDuU
Couldn't help thinking on Sunday of this greatest Superbowl ad ever, from 1984. Such a sharp contrast with today's tech oligarchs reinforcing "100% loyalty" to the leader.
a close up of a man 's face with the words with their own on the bottom right
ALT: a close up of a man 's face with the words with their own on the bottom right
media.tenor.com
February 11, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Couldn't help thinking on Sunday of this greatest Superbowl ad ever, from 1984. Such a sharp contrast with today's tech oligarchs reinforcing "100% loyalty" to the leader.
Enemies like China, Russia, and Iran employ ever more sophisticated techniques in their ongoing info wars against Americans, and we are rapidly tearing down our defenses and unilaterally disarming. Our enemies seek to exacerbate divisions to weaken us. We must fight back, not open the doors.
I missed this yesterday, but new Attorney General Pam Bondi used her first day on the job to disband the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, which has been a key part of government efforts to stop adversaries from meddling in U.S. democracy: https://bit.ly/4jK0RC5
February 6, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Enemies like China, Russia, and Iran employ ever more sophisticated techniques in their ongoing info wars against Americans, and we are rapidly tearing down our defenses and unilaterally disarming. Our enemies seek to exacerbate divisions to weaken us. We must fight back, not open the doors.
www.reuters.com/world/us/pen...
Do they think "1984" is a how-to manual rather than a cautionary tale?
Do they think "1984" is a how-to manual rather than a cautionary tale?
Pentagon removes portrait of Mark Milley, former top US general
The Pentagon on Monday removed the portrait of Mark Milley, the retired Army general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to two Reuters witnesses, in a move that happened within two hours of President Donald Trump's inauguration.
www.reuters.com
January 21, 2025 at 9:53 PM
www.reuters.com/world/us/pen...
Do they think "1984" is a how-to manual rather than a cautionary tale?
Do they think "1984" is a how-to manual rather than a cautionary tale?
Mondale eulogy for Carter, read by his son, ends with this:
January 9, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Mondale eulogy for Carter, read by his son, ends with this:
I hope you will join me and Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta tomorrow to discuss the Panetta Institute's latest Youth Civic Engagement survey --and what can be done to restore faith in democracy and its institutions.
Watch live to ask questions: www.csis.org/events/day-a...
Watch live to ask questions: www.csis.org/events/day-a...
The Day After the Election: A Fireside Conversation with Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta | CSIS Events
Please join CSIS virtually on Tuesday, December 17th, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT for a conversation with Leon Panetta, the 23rd United States Secretary of Defense under the Obama Administration.
www.csis.org
December 16, 2024 at 9:39 PM
I hope you will join me and Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta tomorrow to discuss the Panetta Institute's latest Youth Civic Engagement survey --and what can be done to restore faith in democracy and its institutions.
Watch live to ask questions: www.csis.org/events/day-a...
Watch live to ask questions: www.csis.org/events/day-a...