Elon Musk's DOGE isn't about efficiency " it's about destruction. We should not let this administration tear down our best defenses against those trying to attack us in cyberspace.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) faced a major legal setback as federal judges in New Jersey and Texas criticized the agency over prolonged detentions and repeated violations of court orders.
Shoppers in upstate New York earlier this month turned up a rare find ... read more
March 8 will be the last time most British Columbians have to change their clocks, premier announces
OpEd: The Justice Department filed an emergency motion to the 6th District Court that was rife with basic spelling errors, including spelling voters as "votors," United States as "United Staes," and emergency as "emeregency." read more
Now, let's fast-forward to the current here and now...
The lead U.S. cyber agency is stretched thin as Iran hacking threat escalates
www.cnbc.com
... As the fighting in the Middle East roars on, cyber experts are increasingly warning of online attacks from Iran on U.S. businesses and infrastructure.
"From a timing perspective, it's now or never," said Pavel Gurvich, founder and CEO of cybersecurity startup Tenzai. "In that sense, the danger is meaningfully higher."
Gurvich said Iran may have stored capabilities and is waiting for a high-risk moment to launch.
Following U.S. and Israeli strikes on the region over the weekend, Iran has stepped up retaliatory strikes, hitting U.S. bases, embassies and major hubs, including Tel Aviv, Doha, and Dubai.
The looming threat of an Iran-linked cyberattack poses a critical risk to the U.S. at a time when the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the leading readiness body, is grappling with a partial government shutdown, furloughs, and a management reshuffle that could hinder its ability to counteract an attack. ...
Change in primary voting rules leads to confusion in 2 Texas counties as voters are turned away
apnews.com
... Voters in two major Texas counties were turned away at polling locations and directed to different precincts Tuesday, after a recent change in how the primary is conducted created confusion and frustration.
In Dallas County, a judge ordered polls to remain open for two hours past the scheduled 7 p.m. closing time, citing "voter confusion so severe" that it caused the website of the county election office to crash. The judge was acting on a petition filed by the local Democratic Party in a heavily left-leaning county.
In Dallas and Williamson counties, voters had been allowed to cast their ballot anywhere in their county for years. But for this primary, the local Republican parties opted against countywide voting. State law says both major parties have to agree to the countywide system for it to be in effect.
That meant that on Tuesday all voters in the two counties could cast ballots only at their assigned precinct. ...
@#5 ... Paxton is a criminal.
Therefore he'll win the GOP primary. ...
While I cannot say whether or not he will win, I do note...
Ken Paxton - Legal issues
en.wikipedia.org
...
State securities fraud felony indictment
On July 28, 2015, a state grand jury indicted Paxton on three criminal charges:[269] two counts of securities fraud (a first-degree felony) and one count of failing to register with state securities regulators (a third-degree felony).[270][271] Paxton's indictment marked the first such criminal indictment of a Texas attorney general in thirty-two years since Texas attorney general Jim Mattox was indicted for bribery in 1983.[272] The complainants in the case are Joel Hochberg, a Florida businessman, and Byron Cook, a Republican and former member of the Texas House of Representatives.[273][274] Paxton and Cook were former friends and roommates while serving together in the Texas House.[274] Three special prosecutors were trying the state's case.[275] ...
Securities and Exchange Commission civil action
In 2016, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil enforcement action against Paxton in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The SEC's complaint specifically charged Paxton with violating various provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and various provisions (including Rule 10b-5) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by defrauding the Servergy investors.[300] Paxton denied the allegations.[276][301][302][303] One of the defendants and Servergy itself reached a separate settlement with the SEC, agreeing to pay $260,000 in penalties.[304] ...
Whistleblower allegations
In October 2020, seven of Paxton's top aides published a letter to the office's director of human resources, accusing Paxton of improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other crimes, and said they had provided information to law enforcement and asked them to investigate.[311][312] The letter was signed by first assistant attorney general Jeff Mateer,[312][311] and the deputy and deputy attorneys general overseeing the office's divisions for criminal investigations, civil litigation, administration, and policy.[311] Paxton denied misconduct and said he would not resign.[312][313] By the end of the month, all seven whistleblowers had left the office: three resigned, two were fired, and two were put on leave.[314]
The allegations included that Paxton illegally used his office to benefit real estate developer Nate Paul, who had donated $25,000 to Paxton's 2018 campaign,[315] and that Paxton advocated that Paul's company, World Class, hire a woman with whom Paxton had had an extramarital affair. Paul acknowledged employing the woman but denied that he had done so on Paxton's behalf.[316]
...
There seems to be more, but that wall of text is enough for now.
@#36 ... So now, instead of defending Democracy against an aggressor, the United States has been reduced to ~pay us?~ ...
That sentiment raises questions for me...
Among them are...
1) what is the price of Democracy?
2) Does paying a fee assure Democracy?
I have other questions. But, let's start with those two.