CAPITOL HILL - Intelligence officials are warning Congress of a "fragile world order" that threatens global security.
From war in the Middle East and Europe to dangers at the U.S. southern border, the main takeaway from the annual briefing on worldwide threats is that the world is a more dangerous place and our leaders should be on guard.
The top names in U.S. intelligence said foreign adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran could be looking to influence this year's presidential election.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said, "The threat of malign actors exploiting these tools and technologies to undercut U.S. interests in democracy is particularly potent as voters go to the poll in more than 60 elections around the globe."
The warning to lawmakers focuses on technology like artificial intelligence and its potential to spread misinformation.
They also heard that the controversial app TikTok could be used by the Chinese government to amplify problems domestically.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) warned, "And if they said, 'We want you to put out videos that make Americans fight with each other or spread conspiracy theories and get them at each other's throat,' ByteDance can't go to Chinese court and fight the Communist Party, they would have to do it."
FBI Director Christopher Wray agreed, "That's my understanding. And I would just add, that kind of influence operation, or the different kinds of influence operations you're describing, are extraordinarily difficult to detect."
The FBI also has their eyes trained on the border with not only drugs and human trafficking remaining a top concern, but also the potential for terrorists to enter the country.
"There are a whole host of threats that emanate from the border. And some of them are criminal threats. We talked about fentanyl and violence. And then of course, we have concerns that it could be a vulnerability that terrorist organizations could seek to exploit," Wray said.
Looking overseas, the intelligence heads testified that global conflicts have the potential to strengthen America's enemies, including the high risk of escalation in the Middle East from the Israel-Hamas war.
They also warned that abandoning Ukraine in its fight against Russia could empower Moscow.
"We remain concerned that Moscow will put at risk, long standing global norms against the use of asymmetric or destabilizing weapons including in space and the cyber domain," Haines said.
The House plans to take on at least one of the potential threats this week with a plan to vote on bill to force TikTok to separate from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a ban in the U.S.
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