Nuclear submarines have been a topic of international concern and tension in recent months. As seen in the USA’s poorly handled deal with the French, and subsequent partnership with Australia, the relevance of these naval powerhouses is significant. Most recently, an American couple- Jonathan and Diana Toebbe- were arrested by the FBI and the NCIS after selling “information known as Restricted Data concerning the design of nuclear-powered warships” to an undercover FBI agent, posing as an international representative. Mr. Toebbe has been employed as a nuclear engineer for the Department of the Navy’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. It was through this job, and the national security clearance his job provided him with, that he was able to access this highly sensitive information. The “leaked” information outlined the specific design elements and processes of the warships, the characteristics of the reactors on the ships, and the submarine’s general operating principles. Because only 6 countries currently own these Nuclear-powered submarines, the leaking of this information would be of mammoth relevance to the United States, and other 5 countries. Jonathan Toebbe was in communication with the undercover agent for about a year, communicating via encrypted email and improperly addressed packages. Through these communications, the Toebbe’s established a “drop site” with the undercover agent. It was at this drop site in West Virginia that Toebbe disguised an SD card inside a sandwich, leaving it to be picked up by who he thought was a representative of an international power. Then, once picking up the aforementioned embedded SD card, the agent sent $20,000 of cryptocurrency to Jonathan, who, in response, emailed the agent the SD card’s decryption key. On the SD card was Restricted Data outlining the nuclear-submarine’s reactors. A similar interaction occurred months later in August, only this time, Toebbe received $70,000 in cryptocurrency. Jonathan and his wife were arrested two days ago in West Virginia under clear violation of the Atomic Energy Act. As nuclear-powered submarines become more coveted, it is safe to assume that similar acts of espionage and violation will occur.
Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Robert George Equip the Poly Community with the Tools to Combat Groupthink and Engage in Productive Discourse
T his evening, Poly students, Jason Mayo, Megan Ha and Opal Hetherington impressively facilitated a hugely impactful conversation with Drs. Cornel West and Robert George. In our current sociopolitical climate, our Poly community will certainly benefit from what we collectively learned tonight. Despite their diverging ideological and political viewpoints, the two intellects’ relationship “extends beyond friendship and into brotherhood.” "Love is not reducible to politics or public policy," shared Dr. George at the beginning of the program. To me, this sentiment was consistently reinforced throughout their time with us. Their brotherhood, built on the foundation of truth-seeking, and seemingly epitomizing true friendship, served as proof of Dr. George's statement. When asked about discourse, Dr. George defined civility for the audience- outlining the importance of listening from a place of wanting to learn; acknowledging the possibility that "I coul...
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