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Thursday, September 17, 2026

Here's a riddle: Why did a Goshen Police Department officer search 6,474 automated license plate reader (ALPR) networks, representing data from 82,413 cameras, on May 7, 2025? If your answer is "I don't know," it turns out you're 100% correct. The officer left the letters "idk" in the search field where cops are supposed to document the reason for the search. read more


A new poll of over 35,000 people worldwide shows continued support for global cooperation and rising trust in international institutions, but less comfort with the United States or China taking leadership roles. In fact, many view both as a threat. read more


Wednesday, September 16, 2026

The nation's top law enforcement official appears unlikely to investigate a Russian oligarch with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin who allegedly paid thousands of dollars to bankroll festivities for Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding to Bettina Anderson earlier this year, after the news sparked national security and counterintelligence concerns. read more


New photos obtained exclusively by CBS News reveal for the first time the widespread damage and destruction of buildings and vehicles at multiple U.S. positions across the Middle East, as a result of Iranian missile and drone attacks. read more


"With this particular White House, you have to put pressure on the president from all directions in a consistent way to force his hand," Burkman explained. He and Wohl, lobbyists and right-wing provocateurs, had become avatars of a lucrative new cottage industry of brokers courting those seeking pardons from President Trump. read more


Comments

Related ...

'Always Watching': Flock cameras draw Senate scrutiny
www.politico.com

... A Senate Judiciary subcommittee will hold a hearing on Flock Safety's network of automated license plate readers that's drawn privacy concerns over its ability to track people, and the potential to be misused by police. ...

Related ...

Hackers reveal how Flock cameras really track cars and people
arstechnica.com

... One hacked camera captured 1.6 million images and could detect people as well as cars.

Hackers ripped down a Flock camera above a roadway, made a near-complete copy of the data stored inside it, and shared the files with 404 Media and WIRED, revealing in new detail how exactly Flock Safety's cameras track the movements of both vehicles and people. The hackers say they are also publishing details on how they managed to obtain the software, in the hopes that other people may copy them.

The breach provides an unprecedented look inside a system that Flock has described as protected by on-device encryption. The hackers were able to copy the camera's storage and recover an encryption key stored on the device, which unlocked videos of thousands of vehicle detections. The hackers shared the material with 404 Media and the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, which shared the data with WIRED. 404 Media and WIRED then analyzed those files as part of a joint investigation. ...


Trump says Kennedy Center could be 'ripped down' if he doesn't get 'recognition'
abcnews.com

... President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the Kennedy Center could "close" or be "ripped down" if his administration doesn't receive recognition on the performing arts center as tensions over his name being removed mount.

"I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down," the president told reporters on the tarmac in North Carolina. ...



Fencing goes up around the main Kennedy Center building after Trump-aligned board votes to close it
apnews.com

... Fencing went up Wednesday around the main Kennedy Center building, a day after the Trump-aligned board voted to close most of the performing arts center for repairs. A Democratic congresswoman who is a trustee quickly sought an emergency court hearing to prevent what she called the "unlawful closing." ...

More from the article ...

... When law enforcement and tech salespeople pitch ALPRs to city councils, they stick to a familiar script. They trumpet the technology, which is often provided by private companies like Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions, or Axon, as an essential tool for solving high-stakes crimes, such as car jacking, kidnapping, or murder.

But when you strip away the carefully curated talking points, the data continues to reveal a different (and frankly, ridiculous) story. An EFF analysis of ALPR search logs from Flock Safety systems shows that officers across the country are spying on drivers for completely nonsensical "reasons."

Police are routinely searching the Flock database without providing any legitimate justification, making a mockery of our civil liberties by logging reasons like "LOL" (short for "laugh out loud"), "LMAO" (short for "laughing my ass off"), "sexy," and "idk" (short for "I don't know") to access sensitive ALPR location data.

And in some cases, officers are just mashing keyboard buttons rather than articulating the nature of their searches.

Flock Safety claims it has improved its system by requiring officers to select from a dropdown list of crimes before running a search -- but that only makes it easier for officers to hide improper searches behind the veneer of uniformity.

The system does not require proof that the dropdown reason actually matches the true purpose of the search.

With no warrant requirements, limited guardrails, and deficient audit processes, ALPR databases have fostered a culture of unrestricted access to everyone's location information. This culture of abuse has allowed police to treat a mass surveillance network like their own personal search engine, permitting the tracking of the movements of everyday citizens for low-level complaints, personal whims, and sometimes, seemingly, for the lols. ...


@#3 ... Thousands of dollars. That won't even pay for a cake. ...

abcnews.com

... A Russian oligarch with ties to President Vladimir Putin allegedly contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars for events around Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding to Bettina Anderson earlier this year, according to a report from ProPublica published Monday, with Anderson not disputing the "gift." ...

More from the article ...

... The survey, opens new tab, commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation and conducted in 34 countries from July 21 to August 5, reflected a grim view of economic developments and security challenges, with nearly 70% saying the world had gotten worse over the past year.

Only 38% of those surveyed felt their national economies would improve over the next five years, with optimism down sharply in two of the largest economies. Optimism fell 26 percentage points in India to 50% and 16 points in China to 56%.

Despite widespread pessimism, 57% of those surveyed said countries should cooperate to solve global challenges such as security even if it means compromising on some national interests. That's up from 55% in last year's survey.

The poll, released ahead of next week's United Nations General Assembly in New York, comes after nearly seven months of war in the Middle East that has upended global energy markets, lowered economic growth and fueled inflation. That followed a year of turmoil sparked by sweeping tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on imports from nearly every country. ...

Canada received the highest level of comfort for taking a leading role in world affairs at 60%, followed by Japan (58%) and Australia (55%). The European Union and Britain were closely behind, with 55% and 54%, while the United Nations stood at 52%.

By contrast, just 39% were comfortable with the United States taking a leading role and 37% with China. Russia was viewed even more negatively, with just 26% comfortable. ...


More from the article ...

... "The president doesn't know who this person is. I think other members of the family don't know who this person is ... When you say am I investigating -- Am I investigating what?" Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters Tuesday during a White House press briefing in the Rose Garden.

Donald Trump Jr. and his wife were married at Palm Beach, Florida, before departing for a wedding party on a private island in the Bahamas in late May and the oligarch -- Umar Kremlev -- footed a large portion of the bill for the events later that weekend, according to records reviewed by nonprofit investigative outlet ProPublica, as well as three people familiar with the event who spoke with the outlet.

The payments included the cost of renting a private island and a fireworks display, ProPublica reported. Payments for the expenses reportedly came from an entity affiliated with the International Boxing Association, for which Kremlev serves as president.

The IBA was suspended by the International Olympic Committee in 2019 due to financial issues and organizational problems, including concerns about corruption.

ABC News has not independently confirmed the details of the ProPublica report.

The couple has since acknowledged that Kremlev gave them an "extraordinarily generous" wedding gift. It's not clear why he paid for parts of Trump Jr.'s wedding celebration.

"The president's son has said that he's a very close friend and that he accepted a gift the weekend of his wedding," Blanche said Tuesday. "And when you say this person is a friend of Putin, I don't even know if that's true or not." ...


18-year-old dies of measles in PA from severe neurological complication
arstechnica.com

... Even with changes to the CDC's measles data reporting and suspicions that many cases are going undetected, the CDC is still reporting nearly 3,300 measles cases this year.

That's higher than last year's record tally of 2,289 cases, which led to three deaths.

It's also the highest total seen since 1991, when there were 9,643 cases.

The US declared measles eliminated in 2000 after blocking domestic transmission over a 12-month period via high vaccination rates.

With vaccination rates slipping well below the target of 95 percent, measles is roaring back, and the US is on track to lose its elimination status. ...


@#6 ... The avarage Amazon worker with benefits makes $32.00 per hour. ...

Without benefits, the hourly starting pay was just raised to $20 an hour, with average pay around $24 an hour.

Amazon raises minimum starting pay for full-time core operations employees to $20/hour, with average pay reaching nearly $24/hour
www.cnbctv18.com

... According to the company, the pay increase of $1 an hour is effective immediately and will take the average hourly pay for full-time core operations employees to nearly $24 an hour. Including the value of benefits, average total compensation will exceed $32 an hour. ...


Update ...

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says she wants Canada to become the bloc's 1st associate member
Updated 8:53 AM EDT, September 16, 2026
apnews.com

...
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed making Canada the European Union's first associate member, a striking overture as U.S. President Donald Trump's threats drive Ottawa closer to Europe.

Trump's tariffs and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st state have soured the relationship between the North American neighbors. Canada is seeking to reduce its dependence on the United States, the destination for roughly 70% of its exports, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for a "unique alliance" with the EU.

In her annual State of the European Union address, von der Leyen said Canada and the EU would build on their existing free trade agreement, known as CETA, with a broader "Alliance for the Future" aimed at creating "a common prosperity and economic security space."

She cast that closer relationship as rooted not just in trade but in shared democratic values.

"Above all, dear Mark, Europe and Canada believe in democracy," von der Leyen said to Carney, who received a standing ovation at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. He is due to address the Parliament on Thursday. ...


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