Biden nominates former NSA deputy director to serve as cyber czar

President Biden rolled out a list of nominees to fill key cybersecurity positions, which drew support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Meanwhile, top senators on the antitrust subcommittee said Apple will send a witness to hearing later this month on app store competition after they pushed back on what they called the tech giant’s refusal to participate. And as more people in the U.S. get their COVID-19 vaccines, Uber said it recorded its highest monthly gross bookings in company history in March.

BIDEN’S NAMES CYBER LEADERS: President Biden on Monday rolled out a slate of key leaders to head his administration’s approach to cybersecurity, including nominating Chris Inglis, the former deputy director of the National Security Agency (NSA), as the national cyber director at the White House.

Trailblazing role: Inglis will be nominated to serve in the newly created cyber czar position on the same day Biden will nominate Jen Easterly, another former NSA official, to serve as the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the nation’s lead agency involved in protecting critical infrastructure from attacks.

“Today, President Biden took another important step forward in strengthening our nation’s cyber capability,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday in a statement provided to The Hill. “He will announce his intent to nominate Chris Inglis as National Cyber Director and Jen Easterly as the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency.”

Bipartisan support: Key lawmakers expressed support for the president’s picks to lead federal efforts on securing the nation against cyber threats.