Kari Lake, who oversees the parent agency of the Voice of America, has hit legal and political roadblocks in her drive to dismantle the government-funded broadcaster. She has instead accelerated her use of the U.S. government-owned network to promote President Trump and his views -- in possible violation of federal law and policies. read more
Minnesota resident Nicole Cleland had her Global Entry and TSA Precheck privileges revoked three days after an incident in which she observed activity by immigration agents, the woman said in a court declaration. An agent told Cleland that he used facial recognition technology to identify her, she wrote in a declaration filed in US District Court for the District of Minnesota.
Indirect prompt injection occurs when a bot takes input data and interprets it as a command. We've seen this problem numerous times when AI bots were fed prompts via web pages or PDFs they read. Now, academics have shown that self-driving cars and autonomous drones will follow illicit instructions that have been written onto road signs.
Alfredo Mancillas was reportedly slumped in vehicle and covered in vomit' when state troopers found him in St Paul
Alarming critics, the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Madhu Gottumukkala, accidentally uploaded sensitive information to a public version of ChatGPT last summer, Politico reported. read more
... Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick once planned a visit to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's private island and maintained contact with the sex offender far longer than he has previously claimed ...
US Commerce Secretary Lutnick planned Epstein island visit, emails show
www.bbc.com
... US Commerce Department Secretary Howard Lutnick planned a visit to Jeffrey Epstein's island with his family, emails show - years after Lutnick claimed to have cut ties with the convicted ----------.
The billionaire businessman, his wife, their four children and another family planned to travel to Little Saint James in 2012, according to emails included in the latest Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
The emails contradict statements Lutnick made in October about vowing in 2005 to "never be in a room" with Epstein again. ...
Howard Lutnick tells Pod Force One' ex-neighbor Jeffrey Epstein showed off massage room, made creepy comment during townhouse tour (October 2025)
www.aol.com
... Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a notable break with the Department of Justice, claimed late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was "the greatest blackmailer ever" " and may have traded the feds video of his rich and well-connected associates getting massages from young women in exchange for a controversial 2008 plea deal.
Lutnick made the shocking allegations to The Post's Miranda Devine on the latest episode of "Pod Force One," out now.
The 64-year-old cabinet secretary said that Epstein himself showed off his notorious "massage room" while giving Lutnick and his wife a tour of the infamous East 71st Street townhouse after the couple moved in next door to the since-disgraced financier in 2005.
"I say to him, Massage table in the middle of your house? How often do you have a massage?'" Lutnick recalled. "And he says, Every day.' And then he gets, like weirdly close to me, and he says, And the right kind of massage.'"
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed Jeffrey Epstein was "the greatest blackmailer ever" and may have traded to the feds video footage of powerful associates getting massages in exchange for a plea deal in 2008. Ron Sachs -- CNP for NY Post
Lutnick said he and his wife quickly excused themselves and left Epstein's home, "and in the six to eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house, my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again." ...
@#7 ... They're giving ICE unlimited power in order to force a confrontation that finally gives the Executive Branch the authority to declare Martial Law. ...
It looks to be more extensive than just that ...
For example ...
Border Patrol Bets on Small Drones to Expand US Surveillance Reach (December 2025)
www.wired.com
... Federal records show CBP is moving from testing small drones to making them standard surveillance tools, expanding a network that can follow activity in real time and extend well beyond the border. ...
ICE Preps For New Hiring Surge' With AI Drones, Armor And Weapons (September 2025)
www.forbes.com
... Contract records show ICE is arming its new agents with military-grade gear, from Silicon Valley's autonomous drones to Glock handguns. ...
@#12 ... Border patrol guys call migrants "tonks" ...
Holy pasture pastries ...
February 2024
borderoversight.org
... The Freedom of Information Act revealed the widespread use of inappropriate language among Border Patrol officials, prompting discussions of banning the use of anti-migrant slurs. HuffPost revealed internal Border Patrol emails and text messages in which agents, across ranks and regions, used the slur "tonk" to refer to migrants, along with other derogatory language.
This is not the first instance of derogatory language within the agency. Over 23 years ago, a US Border Patrol official warned that slurs against people crossing the border would not be tolerated. In 2019, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the parent agency of Border Patrol, issued guidance explicitly stating that "the term tonk is not appropriate" due to its derogatory connotation.
Despite these warnings, Border Patrol agents routinely refer to migrants as "tonks," a term reportedly derived from the sound their utility flashlights make when hitting a migrant's head. Although the origin of the word is unclear, with some suggesting it is an acronym for "Traveler, Origin Not Known" or "Traveler Outside Native Country," it continues to carry racist implications, particularly within law enforcement circles.
Some examples of the language used within email chains include:
- - - Border Patrol employees described migrants not just as "tonks" but also as "an influx of rats" from "whatamala, el salvado, and hondodas."
- - - Border Patrol personnel mocked a co-worker for "marrying a tonk" because "he can't find a legal chick here WOW."
In a statement, a spokesperson for the US Customs and Border Protection stated, "The use of any derogatory language towards others is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. No one feels that more than those who wear the uniform," adding that any alleged misconduct would be referred to CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility, from which criminal or administrative investigations could arise. ...
@#24
You noticed that also?
Creepy.
Especially in this light ...
Donald Trump had a habit of walking into the dressing rooms of teen beauty queens (2016)
www.vice.com
... As owner of the Miss Teen USA pageant franchise, Donald Trump felt entitled to walk into the dressing rooms of aspiring young beauty queens.
Four women who competed in the 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant told BuzzFeed that Trump would often show up in their dressing room unannounced while the contestants, some as young as 15, were changing.
"I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like, Oh my god, there's a man in here'," Mariah Billado, former Miss Vermont Teen USA, told BuzzFeed reporters. She remembers Trump's response " that he said something along the lines of "Don't worry, ladies, I've seen it all before."
Tasha Dixon, the former Miss Teen Arizona, competed in the 2001 Teen USA pageant. She was 18 at the time and remembers how Trump would "come strolling right in" when girls were "half-naked, changing into [their] bikinis ... .some girls were topless. Other girls were naked," according to an interview with the CBS station in Los Angeles.
"There was no second to put a robe on or any sort of clothing," Dixon said. She said that was most of the girls' first introduction to Trump. She said that Trump's behavior put her and the other pageant contestants in a "very physically vulnerable position," and that his entrance was usually accompanied by "the pressure of the people that worked for him telling us to go fawn all over him, go walk up to him, talk to him, get his attention."
Trump apparently considered access to the women's changing rooms one of the perks of owning the beauty pageant franchises MissUniverse and Miss Teen USA, which he bought in 1996. ...
Apropos of Pres Trump?
Inspiral Carpets - This Is How It Feels (1990)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
[Chorus]
So this is how it feels to be lonely
This is how it feels to be small
This is how it feels when your word means nothing at all
...
@#1 ... I remember a time back in the '60s where one would find their bucolic European backpack travels had less hassles if you told everyone you were Canadian. ...
Well, yeah.
From what I've heard, that's always been true.
But the point of this thread seems to be that Europe's overall view of America is deteriorating. Not that the Europeans may have had a better view of Canada back then.
Yeah, Canadians may have been subject to less hassles when visiting Europe in the 60's. Those were interesting times. (understatement).
For example ...
Germany Issues Travel Safety Warning Against the U.S.: 'Be Vigilant'
people.com
... Germany is issuing new guidance to its citizens planning to travel to the United States amid ongoing protests with immigration officials.
On Monday, Jan. 26, Germany's Federal Foreign Office updated its U.S. "Travel and Safety Advice" page on its website to include new warnings about ongoing events that could impact travel plans.
One of the warnings includes "demonstration/clashes" with immigration officials.
"In Minneapolis and other cities, demonstrations sometimes lead to violent clashes with immigration and security authorities," the guidance says. ...
@#11 ... and theres ... Bill CLinton....by the thousands. ...
Possibly.
But, and it is a significant but ...
Fmr Pres Clinton has stated that he wants all of the references to him in the Epstein files to be released[1].
Has Pres Trump made a similar statement, or is res Trump still participating in a possible cover-up?
===
1 - Bill Clinton's spokesperson calls for release of all Epstein files related to former president
abcnews.go.com
... After the Department of Justice released thousands of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a tranche on Friday that included a number of decades-old photographs of former President Bill Clinton, a spokesperson for Clinton on Monday called on all of the files relating to Clinton to be released.
In a statement, Clinton spokesperson Angel Ureña accused the DOJ of using the selective release of Epstein documents to imply wrongdoing where there is none, challenging the department to immediately release any remaining materials mentioning or showing Bill Clinton in the files.
Ureña, a spokesperson for Clinton, wrote on Monday that the content and method of how the Department of Justice has released files makes it "clear" that "someone or something is being protected."
"We do not know whom, what or why," Ureña wrote. "But we do know this: We need no such protection." ...
Not really a surprise.
Mr Young authored the CSN&Y song Ohio.
Crosby, Stills Nash & Young - Ohio (1970)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
genius.com