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☆ Political violence in polarized U.S. at its worst since 1970s
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +26 min

Three academics who reviewed the cases say they add to growing evidence that America is grappling with the biggest and most sustained increase in political violence since the 1970s. Political violence surged for nearly a decade starting in the late-1960s – 1970 alone saw more than 450 cases, LaFree said. In contrast, much of today’s political violence is aimed at people – and most of the deadly outbursts tracked by Reuters have come from the right. “Political warfare”There’s no official tally of how many Americans die each year from political violence. Most of the fatal political violence identified by Reuters was carried out by people who embraced far-right views.

Persons: Kristen King’s, King, “, Austin Combs, ”, “ He’s, wailed, Anthony King, Donald Trump, Gary LaFree, LaFree, Rachel Kleinfeld, Carnegie’s Kleinfeld, Trump, Christopher Wray’s, Combs, Let’s, Joe Biden, Dave Spurrier, ” Combs, Wayne Staton, gaunt, Bri Smith, “ honk, Bubba, Ross, Cody Lee Harbaum, ” Harbaum, Edgar, Floyd Rockwell, Terry B’s, “ Hillary, Kim Jenkins, Patti Betz, “ Austin, Betz, Miss Patti, ‘, ” Betz, Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi, Paul, Nancy Pelosi’s, Katie Pridemore, Shawn Popp, Popp, Donald Henry, Henry, ’, Craig Greenberg, Quintez Brown, Greenberg, Brown, ” Brown, Robert Telles, Telles, Benjamin Smith, Dajah Beck, Beck, Smith, Allie Bradley, “ You’re, Bradley, Kristine Christenson, Ben Smiths, rightwing hecklers, ” Bradley, Knightly’s, Katherine Knapp, King’s, Kristen, Pridemore Organizations: Democrat, Reuters, U.S . Capitol, University of Maryland criminologist, Oklahoma, Federal Bureau of, Carnegie Endowment, International, Democratic, Trump, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, Republican, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Miss, . House, San, U.S, Capitol, Media, Attorney’s Office, Judicial, Las, Veterans, Pridemore Locations: OKEANA, Ohio, Okeana, America, Florida, Portland, Buffalo, Washington, Butler County, Brandon, Butler, Hamilton, San Francisco, Wisconsin, New Mexico, U.S, Louisville , Kentucky, China, Taiwan, California, Clark County , Nevada, Las Vegas, Normandale, Portland , Oregon, ”

☆ Exclusive: Former Coast Guard head covered up secret investigation into sexual assaults at the Coast Guard Academy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Melanie Hicken Blake Ellis Curt Devine Pamela Brown Scott Bronstein | Melanie Hicken | Blake Ellis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Coast Guard Admiral Karl Schultz took over for Admiral Paul Zukunft as Coast Guard commandant at a Change of Command ceremony in June 2018. Jacquelyn Martin/APBy keeping the investigation secret, the Coast Guard avoided further scrutiny of how alleged rapists and other attackers were not held accountable at the academy. Linda Fagan became the first female commandant when she took charge of the Coast Guard in 2022. Fagan is not the only current Coast Guard official who was aware of the secret operation at some level. “There is always a new problem every day.”Do you have information to share about the Coast Guard Academy or Coast Guard?

Persons: Pamela Brown’s, Karl L, Schultz, —, Admiral Paul Zukunft, don’t, ” Zukunft, Admiral Charles W, Ray, Democratic Sens, Maria Cantwell, Tammy Baldwin of, Karl Schultz, Jacquelyn Martin, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, “, ”, Chad Wolf, Ken Cuccinelli, Linda Fagan, Evan Vucci, “ Fagan, Fagan, Paul Zukunft, Jessica Hill, Melissa Bert, ” Bert Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, Academy, DHS, Democratic, Senate, Committee, AP, United States, Loy Institute for Leadership, “, Coast Guard Academy Locations: Washington, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Connecticut

REUTERS/Quinn GlabickiA White House spokesperson said Biden "continues to support moving away from the use of private detention facilities in the immigration detention system." One facility evaluated as part of the Biden administration review was Stewart Detention Center, a Georgia lockup operated by the private prison company CoreCivic (CXW.N). The administration has scaled back immigration detention in some ways. ICE often pays to maintain a fixed number of beds at detention centers regardless of whether they are actually used. But just six months later, the company signed a contract to reopen the same complex as a 1,900-bed immigration detention center.

Persons: Quinn Glabicki PHILIPSBURG, Joe Biden, watchdogs, Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden, Donald Trump, Mayorkas, lockups, Quinn Glabicki, Stewart, Ryan Gustin, Winn, Quinn Glabicki Ruben Dario, didn't, Ryan Horvath, Richwood, BIDEN, Trump, Biden's, Jose Gordo, Angela Kelley, Kelley, Boy Sonkarlay, Erika Guadalupe Nunez, Ted Hesson, Mica Rosenberg, Kristina Cooke, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Processing, GEO Group, U.S . Immigration, Customs, REUTERS, Democratic, Immigration, Customs Enforcement, Biden, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Reuters, ICE, Companies, Republican, Trump, White, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, Stewart Detention, Winn Correctional Center, LaSalle Corrections, Richwood Correctional, LaSalle, Reuters Graphics Reuters, BI, ICE Processing Center, GEO, Visitors, Thomson Locations: Philipsburg , Pennsylvania, U.S, Pennsylvania, Mexico, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, LaSalle, Argentine, Spanish, California, Liberian, Philadelphia, Philipsburg, Washington, New York

☆ Focus: Key trade loophole keeps cheap Chinese products flowing to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Katherine Masters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that de minimis shipments into the U.S. rose to 685.5 million in 2022, up nearly 67% over 2018. That equals roughly two to three million packages a day, Robert Silvers, Under Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security, told lawmakers in July. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers in June introduced bills that would ban de minimis shipments from China upon enactment. Rival U.S. retailers also have grown increasingly concerned about the exemption as Shein and Temu have gained market share. In 2015, Congress raised the cap on de minimis shipments to $800 from $200, making the U.S. threshold one of the highest in the world.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Shein, Peter Pernot, Robert Silvers, minimis, Jason Smith, Temu, Steve Story, They're, Erik Autor, Katherine Masters, Anna Driver Organizations: REUTERS, PDD Holdings, U.S, Reuters, American Apparel and Footwear Association, de, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Republican, Columbia, Apex Logistics International, UPS, FedEx, Barlow & Company, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, Mexico, Canada

☆ Appeals Court Allows Biden’s Asylum Restrictions to Continue for Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Michael D. Shear | More About Michael D. Shear | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“The Biden administration’s asylum ban is illegal and dangerous,” said Anne Peterson, a senior staff attorney at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies. “The courts have repeatedly struck down these policies as unlawful. “The rule has significantly reduced irregular migration, and since its implementation on May 12 we have removed more than 85,000 individuals. Judge Lawrence J.C. VanDyke wrote that he agreed with their decision but objected because his two colleagues had been harsher when dealing with cases involving former President Donald J. Trump. In a five-page dissent, Judge VanDyke, a Trump appointee, wrote that the other judges did not give the former president’s administration the same deference when they were considering several challenges to his immigration policies.

Persons: “, Biden, ”, Anne Peterson, Erin Heeter, William A, Fletcher, Richard A . Paez, Bill Clinton —, Judge Lawrence J.C, VanDyke, Donald J, Judge VanDyke Organizations: Center, Gender, Refugee Studies, Department of Homeland Security, Trump Locations: Central, South America, United States

☆ Why Jack Smith Had to Bring This Indictment Against Trump - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Ryan Goodman | Andrew Weissmann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump has now been indicted three times, accused of crimes occurring before, during and after his presidency. But the indictment does more: It skillfully avoids breathing air into a Trump claim of selective prosecution. To not have brought this case against Mr. Trump would have been an act of selective nonprosecution. Mr. Smith has now said he can prove the same conduct beyond a reasonable doubt. Although the Jan. 6 select committee referred Mr. Trump for investigation for inciting an insurrection, Mr. Smith wisely demurred.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Jack Smith, David Carter, John Eastman, Smith, demurred Organizations: Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, of National Intelligence, Republican, The, Capitol, Federal, Department Locations: United States

CNN —Special counsel Jack Smith unveiled his case alleging that former President Donald Trump broke several laws in his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, with a grand jury indictment returned Tuesday that illustrated the depth and breadth of the federal criminal investigation. Trump, who has derided Smith’s case as a politically motivated “fake indictment,” has been summoned to appear before a magistrate judge on Thursday. Prosecutors put forward several examples of Trump being told by his aides that fraud claims he was promoting were false. The new indictment recounts a conversation between Trump and Meadows, during which Meadows allegedly told Trump that he had observed Georgia election officials were “conducting themselves in an exemplary fashion,” while assuring Trump they would find fraud if it existed. Hours later, Trump tweeted that the election officials were “terrible people” who were trying to cover-up evidence of fraud.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald Trump, Prosecutors, Trump “, Trump, ”, it’s, ” Trump, Wisconsin –, “, Mike Pence, Department of Homeland Security’s, –, Kenneth Chesebro, Rudy Guiliani –, memorializing, they’re, Pence, Pat Cipollone, Trump’s, Giuliani, ” Pence, Pat Philbin, Philbin, Mark Meadows, Meadows, Tanya Chutkan –, Obama, Smith, he’ll Organizations: CNN, Trump, ”, White, Justice, Republican, Justice Department, Department of Homeland, Infrastructure Security Agency, Prosecutors, AZ, Capitol, CNN Prosecutors, “, Manhattan Locations: United States, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Detroit, Arizona, Cipollone, Trump, Meadows, Georgia, DC, Alabama

☆ Exclusive: U.S. quietly inspects Israeli crossings for its Palestinian dual-nationals
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Since the trial period began, Palestinian Americans already say there is a difference. The allies have sought to limit publicity around the trial period, which comes amid unusually intense strains between their leaderships over wider Palestinian policies and other issues. One official told Reuters the trial period has been "going smoothly," without significant hold-ups for Palestinian American travellers. The Arab American Institute Foundation puts the number of Americans of Palestinian descent at between 122,500 and 220,000. An Israeli official gave lower figures, saying that out of 70,000 to 90,000 Palestinian Americans worldwide, about 15,000 to 20,000 were West Bank residents.

Persons: Abdul Jalil Juda, Ben Gurion, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nidal al, Nuha Sharaf, Dan Williams, Peter Graff Organizations: Ben Gurion, West Bank, U.S, Visa, Reuters, Embassy, Israel's National Security Council, Israeli, Palestinian, ., City University of New, of Homeland Security, State Department, Arab American Institute Foundation, West Bank ., Thomson Locations: Israel, JERUSALEM, Palestinian, Israeli, West, Washington, United States, Ben, Jordan, Jerusalem, U.S, American, City University of New York, The U.S, Gaza

CNN —The number of migrants crossing the treacherous Darien Gap, a mountainous rainforest region that connects South and Central America, has broken a new record, according to immigration officials in Panama. The Panama migration authority’s deputy director Maria Isabel Saravia told media that 2022’s already-high number of crossings was surpassed on Monday. “With today and yesterday’s crossings of 1,869 people, there have been 248,901 crossings,” Saravia said Monday. As the figures anticipated, we exceeded last year’s number (…) The last three years have been much higher than the last 11 years in crossings,” Saravia added. The 60-kilometer (37 mile) hike through the Darien Gap brings migrants from Colombia to Panama and is a crucial passage for those hoping to reach the United States and Canada.

Persons: Maria Isabel Saravia, Saravia Organizations: CNN, Central America, “, Department of Homeland Security Locations: Darien, South, Central, Panama, Colombia, United States, Canada, Mexico, Texas

☆ The SEC wants corporate America to tell investors more about cybersecurity breaches and what's being done to fight them
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The Securities and Exchange Commission wants corporate America to tell investors more about cybersecurity breaches and what's being done to fight them. The SEC has voted 3-2 to adopt new rules on cybersecurity disclosure. It will require public companies to disclose "material" cybersecurity breaches within 4 days after a determination that an incident was material. Corporate America is pushing back, claiming that the short announcement period is unreasonable, and that it would require public disclosure that could harm corporations and be exploited by cybercriminals. Current cybersecurity rules are fuzzyCurrent rules on when a company needs to report a cybersecurity event are fuzzy.

Persons: Gary Gensler, Hope, cybersecurity, CISA, SIFMA, Gensler, Jensen Organizations: Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Corporate America, Federal Register, prudential, Securities Industry, Financial Markets Association, Industry, NYSE Group, Nasdaq, FBI, Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Williams Locations: America

WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Joe Biden's new regulation restricting asylum access at the U.S.-Mexico border, upending a key tenet of his plan to deter migration after COVID-era Title 42 restrictions ended in May. California-based U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar stayed the order for 14 days, leaving the restrictions in place for now. The Biden administration within hours appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The number of migrants caught crossing the border illegally plummeted in recent months after the new regulation went into place. Whether the trend will continue if the new asylum restrictions are blocked remains unclear.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Jon Tigar, Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Tigar, prolongs, Katrina Eiland, Ted Hesson, Kristina Cooke, Mica Rosenberg, Chris Reese, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, District, Appeals, Democrat, Republican, Trump, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Reuters, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, White, Thomson Locations: U.S, Mexico, . California, Belize, Colombia, Washington, New York

☆ The Gatsby of Silicon Alley: Meet the 27-year-old Google employee who's throwing tech's hottest parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Despite throwing events attended by thousands, Andrew Yeung has never made a cent off his parties. They've all gathered at the personal invitation of a 27-year-old Google product lead named Andrew Yeung. The terms of his visa stipulate that he can only derive income from his day job at Google. And there was nothing bigger in his father's mind than a tech job in the United States. It was the first Andrew Yeung party.

Persons: Andrew Yeung, techies, who's, Yeung, revelers, He's, hasn't, he's, Connor Roach, Benjamin Franklin, Yeung doesn't, Cliff Lerner, it's, Melissa Glazar, Lior Cole, I've, Cole, Glazar, Lerner, Keyser, didn't, Connor Roach Yeung, Monica, Sunny Yeung, Andrew, Sunny, he'd, Andrew doesn't, It's Organizations: Junto, Google, Cornell, CCP, Yeung's, Party, SXSW, The University of Toronto, Facebook, Art Basel, of Homeland Security Locations: Brooklyn, Belarusian, cabanas, Gowanus, New York, Austin, Miami, LA, phoniness, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Hong Kong, United States, Central Park, Basel, Canada, Toronto

Washington CNN —Special counsel Jack Smith’s office has asked former US officials about a February 2020 Oval Office meeting where then-President Donald Trump praised improvements to the security of US elections, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. Those details offer a stark contrast to the voter-fraud conspiracy theories Trump began spreading publicly just weeks later and continued to use to question the 2020 election results. Investigators seemed particularly interested in understanding Trump’s mindset about election security before he embarked on a monthslong campaign to cast doubt on elections, the source added. After losing the 2020 election, Trump repeatedly made false claims that contradicted what he was told at the White House briefing about the security of voting systems. The briefing grew tense when the topic turned to Moscow’s preference for Trump over Joe Biden in the 2020 election, the sources said.

Persons: Jack Smith’s, Donald Trump, Trump, Zach Gibson, Elie Honig, “, ” Honig, Jack Smith, ”, Claire Woodall, Scott Olson, Chris Krebs, Trump’s, Joe Biden, National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, Drew Angerer, Maguire Organizations: Washington CNN, White House, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, CNN, Trump, Oval, Bloomberg, Getty, White, DHS, National Intelligence, Capitol Locations: Washington , DC, Venezuela, Italy, Milwaukee, Trump

☆ Texas governor to defy DOJ request to remove floating barriers in Rio Grande: ‘Texas will see you in court, Mr. President’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Chris Boyette Priscilla Alvarez | Chris Boyette | Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Greg Abbott will not be ordering floating barriers to be removed from the Rio Grande, in defiance of the US Department of Justice. The Justice Department gave Texas a deadline of Monday at 2 p.m. ET to commit to the removal of the floating border barriers or face legal action, according to the letter sent to Abbott. The governor’s actions are cruel and putting both migrants and border agents in danger,” White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan said. Among the complaints are reports that Texas troopers were told to push back migrants into the Rio Grande and ordered not to give them water.

Persons: Greg Abbott, “, ” Abbott, Joe Biden, ”, Abbott, Abbott’s, Abdullah Hasan, Ted Cruz, Biden’s Organizations: CNN, Texas Gov, US Department of Justice, DOJ, Justice Department, Texas, The, Department gave Texas, Republican, Texas Constitution, Patrol, Department of Homeland Security, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Justice, Texas Department of Public Safety, DPS Locations: Rio Grande, “ Texas, Texas, Mexico, United States, Rio

Pentagon officials had widely expected the nomination to go to Admiral Samuel Paparo, who leads the Navy in the Pacific and who has experience grappling with the growing challenge from China. "Throughout her career, Admiral Franchetti has demonstrated extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas," Biden said in a statement, noting that she was the second woman ever to achieve the rank of four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy. Last year, Biden picked Admiral Linda Fagan to lead the U.S. Coast Guard, making her its first female commanding officer. Franchetti would become the first woman to lead a military service within the Defense Department and to join the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a group of eight top uniformed service members who advise the president on military issues. Biden also elevated Paparo, nominating him to become the commander of all U.S. military forces in the Pacific.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Joe Biden, Lisa Franchetti, Biden, Samuel Paparo, Franchetti, Admiral Franchetti, Linda Fagan, Stephen, Koehler, Paparo, Tommy Tuberville, Charles " C.Q, Brown, Tuberville, Steve Holland, Phil Stewart, Jasper Ward, Rami Ayyub, Sharon Singleton, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: U.S . Marines, U.S . Navy, U.S . Navy Wasp, Fleet, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Navy, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Pentagon, Pacific, U.S . Naval Forces Korea, U.S . Coast Guard, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Defense Department, Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S . Pacific Fleet, Senate, Air Force, Marine Corps, United States Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bataan, New York, China

☆ Microsoft is giving out free cybersecurity tools after an alleged Chinese hack
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Microsoft is offering free cybersecurity tools to some government and commercial customers following criticism of the tech giant’s handling of a major alleged Chinese hack that compromised US government email accounts. Starting in September, Microsoft cloud computing customers won’t have to pay extra money to get access to critical data to help them spot cyberattacks, Microsoft said Wednesday. The move comes after cybersecurity officials privately expressed frustration that Microsoft had not done enough to detect the alleged Chinese cyber-espionage campaign, according to US officials. The email accounts of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and State Department officials were breached in the activity, CNN has reported. Until now, Microsoft’s business model has involved charging customers extra for access to these logs.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, ” Sean Koessel, ” Koessel, —, Jen, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Microsoft, Street Journal, State Department, CNN, Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Locations: New York

☆ DOJ says it’s assessing the situation along the Texas-Mexico border amid ‘troubling reports’ over migrant treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“The department is aware of the troubling reports, and we are working with DHS and other relevant agencies to assess the situation,” DOJ spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa told CNN. CNN previously reported that the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department were in ongoing discussions about what actions could be taken against the state. That suit lists the state of Texas and Abbott, as well as the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard. But it wouldn’t mark the first time the Justice Department has sued on border-related matters. Last year, the Justice Department sued Arizona for placing shipping containers along the US southern border – a move taken by then-Republican Gov.

Persons: Xochitl Hinojosa, Steve McCraw, Greg Abbott’s, ”, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” Jean, –, Abbott, Doug Ducey Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, Texas, DHS, of Public Safety, Operation Lone Star, Democratic, Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department, Gov, –, Department of Justice, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas National Guard, Texas Department of Public, Arizona, Republican Locations: Texas, Mexico, Rio, White, Arizona

☆ US officials worry about ‘chilling effect’ on combating election disinformation after order limiting Biden administration contact with social platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Brian Fung Sean Lyngaas | Brian Fung | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The resulting uncertainty, they say, risks slowing the government and social media companies’ ability to respond to election-related disinformation that appears on tech platforms. Last week, the State Department canceled a routine meeting on election security with Facebook, according to a person familiar with the matter. On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray defended the close contacts between the US government and the social media companies. The injunction does contain some exceptions allowing more limited contact between affected agencies and social media companies. “Well, the government doesn’t necessarily have those capabilities to do that back-end work that the social media companies do.

Persons: Biden, ”, Chris Krebs, Krebs, Katie Harbath, Donald Trump, Christopher Wray, ” Wray, Trump, Harbath, Yoel Roth, Twitter’s, Gowri Ramachandran, “, ” Ramachandran, they’re, Ramachandran, Russia’s, ” Harbath, you’re, ’, Evelyn Douek, Jocelyn Benson, ” Benson, Adam Mosseri, Meta, ’ ”, Nick Clegg, Donie O’Sullivan Organizations: Washington CNN, Infrastructure Security Agency, CNN, State Department, Facebook, Justice Department, FBI, of Homeland Security, Health, Human Services, Twitter, “, Senate Intelligence, Department of Homeland Security, National Intelligence, Big Tech, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University, Stanford Law School, Meta, YouTube, Meta Global Locations: Louisiana, Missouri, State, Michigan

☆ U.S. probing Exxon contractor in Guyana for smuggling drugs, gold
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Now, U.S. officials are considering imposing sanctions on the Mohameds, according to four of the sources and two additional people familiar with the matter. The construction of the shore base is part of Exxon’s efforts to expand oil production off Guyana’s coast. The companies plan to expand output to 1.2 million bpd by 2027, a massive haul that would make Guyana’s production higher than what many OPEC nations, including neighboring Venezuela, produce today. Guyana is Exxon’s top bet for global oil production growth outside of the United States. Neither Hess nor CNOOC responded to requests for comment on the investigations into the Mohameds or the government’s meetings with Exxon.

Persons: Nazar Mohamed, Washington, Mohamed, Irfaan Ali, ”, ” Nazar Mohamed, Azruddin Mohamed, “, Alistair Routledge, Hess, CNOOC Organizations: Guyana U.S, Exxon Mobil, Reuters, Exxon, Mohamed’s Enterprise, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Russian, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security, U.S, Routledge, The U.S, China National Offshore Oil Corporation Locations: GEORGETOWN, Guyana, U.S, The Texas, Venezuela, United States, Europe, Georgetown, China

☆ Secret Services ends White House cocaine investigation with no leads
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Kelly O'Donnell | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The Secret Service investigation has concluded with no usable forensic or video evidence to identify the individual responsible, three Secret Service officials familiar with the investigation tell NBC News. The Secret Service received results Wednesday from tests conducted by the FBI, "which did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient DNA was present for investigative comparisons," according to an official statement from the Secret Service released Thursday. "The presence of illegal drugs in the White House is unacceptable and a shameful moment in the White House's history." White House officials noted the Biden family was not at the White House when the cocaine was discovered; the president and his family had left for Camp David for the holiday weekend Friday and did not return to the White House until Tuesday, July 4th, after the cocaine had been discovered. The individuals were notified they could not bring the marijuana to the White House campus, the officials said.

Persons: Biden, Jake Sullivan, Karine Jean, Pierre, Jean, James Comer, Kimberly Cheatle, Comer, Camp David, Pierre said, it's Organizations: Service Police, Lafayette, Service, NBC, White, FBI, NBC News, Homeland, Capitol, West, Wing, West Wing, District of Columbia Fire Department, Department of Homeland, Camp, Secret Services, Washington , D.C, White House Locations: Washington ,, Ky, Fort Detrick , Maryland

☆ A Film About Child Trafficking Takes on Summer Blockbusters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Marc Tracy | More About Marc Tracy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Sound of Freedom,” a thriller starring Jim Caviezel as a federal agent who takes on child traffickers, will not be the summer box office’s biggest hit. The film — whose distributor, Angel Studios, has a big success with “The Chosen,” a streaming series about the life of Jesus — was the third most watched film in North America last weekend. Its $19.7 million weekend take was behind only the horror film “Insidious: The Red Door,” which made $33 million in its first weekend, and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which made $27.4 million in its second. “Sound of Freedom” is based on a true story: Caviezel plays Tim Ballard, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent who investigated pedophiles. Some critics say the film appeals to the QAnon movement, which posits a false conspiracy theory accusing progressive elites of pedophilia.

Persons: Jim Caviezel, “, Jesus —, Indiana Jones, Caviezel, Tim Ballard, Ballard, Donald J, Trump, Neal Harmon, Angel’s, ” Organizations: Angel Studios, “, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, Operation Underground Railroad, Fox News, Guardian Locations: North America

The Justice Department in a filing sought a stay pending its appeal of the judge's preliminary injunction. Doughty's order specifically mentioned certain officials including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Jen Easterly, who heads the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. U.S. officials have said that in contacting social media companies they were aiming to tamp down misinformation about American elections and about COVID vaccines to curb preventable deaths. It raises grave separation-of-powers concerns," the Justice Department filing said, referring to the Constitution's division of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the U.S. government. The judge's order made some exceptions for communications between government officials and the companies, including to warn about risks to national security and about criminal activity.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joe Biden's, Terry Doughty, Doughty, Donald Trump, Alejandro Mayorkas, Kanishka Singh, Will Dunham, Mike Scarcella Organizations: Twitter, YouTube, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S . Justice, Republican, New, Circuit, District, Department of Health, Human Services, U.S, Department, Department of Homeland, Infrastructure Security Agency . U.S, ., Thomson Locations: New Orleans, Louisiana, Missouri, Washington

☆ French government wants the power to block social media and to tap into cellphones
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

President Macron has said his government needs the authority to block social media to curb protests. First, on July 4, during a meeting with mayors, Macron suggested the government needs the authority to regulate or block social media platforms during major protests. Both left- and right-leaning lawmakers, meanwhile, characterized the comments about blocking social media made by Macron, who is considered centrist, as anti-democratic. Elsewhere in the world, social media censorship has increased in recent years. In an effort to stop people from gathering to protest COVID-19 restrictions, the Chinese government censored discussion of certain cities on social media, according to the BBC.

Persons: Macron, Emmanuel Macron, Monde, Eliska, — Organizations: Service, Police, French, Washington Post, Le Monde, Renaissance Party, Human Rights Watch, Wall Street Journal, Department of Homeland Security, Journal ., New York Times Locations: France, Wall, Silicon, Europe, Spain, Belarus, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, San Francisco

☆ Chinese state media rebuke Mark Zuckerberg over reported plan to sell Quest headsets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., speaks during the virtual Meta Connect event in New York, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. for a virtual future. A Chinese state-controlled media outlet published a harsh critique of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, accusing the billionaire of essentially "shooting himself in the foot" when it came to the Chinese markets. The editorial, translated from Mandarin, said that Zuckerberg's past criticisms of Chinese companies, including ByteDance's TikTok, essentially amount to self-sabotage of his efforts to sell in China. Zuckerberg has been a critic of both specific China-based companies and widespread Chinese corporate espionage. "I think it's well documented that the Chinese government steals technology from American companies," Zuckerberg testified before Congress in 2020.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Tencent, ByteDance's, Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Sen, Tom Cotton, Sundar Pichai, Apple's Cook, Pichai Organizations: Meta, Inc, Street Journal, Apple, Tesla, Google, Microsoft, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security Locations: New York, Beijing, China

WASHINGTON, July 4 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday restricted some agencies and officials of the administration of President Joe Biden from meeting and communicating with social media companies to moderate their content, according to a court filing. A White House official said the Justice Department was reviewing the order and will evaluations its options. The order also mentioned by name officials including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Jen Easterly, who heads the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in its restrictions. U.S. officials have said they were aiming to tamp down misinformation about COVID vaccines to curb preventable deaths. Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms (META.O), Twitter, and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) YouTube did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas, Terry Doughty, Kanishka Singh, Jeff Mason, Alistair Bell, Heather Timmons, Bill Berkrot Organizations: U.S, Department of Health, Human Services, FBI, United, White, Justice Department, Department of Homeland, Infrastructure Security Agency, Western, Western District of, Washington Post, Republicans, Biden, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Thomson Locations: Louisiana, Missouri, Western District, Western District of Louisiana, Washington

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