[AP] NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, one of the state’s most powerful Democrats, was charged on Thursday in connection with what federal authorities alleged was a role leading a wide-ranging criminal enterprise that acquired and distributed large quantities of marijuana and laundered the proceeds.
Lucas, who has been in elected office for decades, used her political power to insulate the operation from scrutiny, according to an indictment charging her and six other defendants, including several of her relatives. She "put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve," said U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who spoke at a news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel.
Lucas surrendered, a Justice Department spokesperson said, and was expected to make an initial appearance in federal court on Thursday afternoon.
The charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering, came after the FBI searched Lucas’ hometown office and a cannabis shop in which she has a stake in May. At the time of the search, Lucas — who has been a vocal critic of Republican President Donald Trump’s administration — characterized it as an attempt to intimidate her.
"This is the circus we always expected it to be," said Brian Woolfolk, chief counsel for the L. Louise Lucas Legal Defense Fund.
#1
She "put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve," said U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who spoke at a news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel.
I would not have uttered that phrase. It's far too inclusive.
[DM] An American woman allegedly made millions of dollars through a scam in which she orchestrated hundreds of sham marriages to help illegal migrants secure green cards.
Federal prosecutors claimed that Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, was the mastermind of the scheme in Massachusetts and enlisted the help of five other American women living in the state.
Gonzalez, of Fall River, would allegedly charge between $38,000 and $40,000 per migrant to arrange the illegal marriages, according to an affidavit filed Monday in the US District Court for Massachusetts.
Her operation averaged between 18 and 20 fraudulent marriages per year for about 12 years, per the legal filing.
Gonzalez, 31-year-old Amara Pugh, 29-year-old Erica Daniels, 39-year-old Cherice Alejandro, 31-year-old Jessica Tavares and 26-year-old Jalyn Hill have each been charged with marriage fraud, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, harboring illegal aliens and conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens.
Pugh was allegedly the 'secretary' of the plan, while Gonzalez paid the other women to participate in one or more fake marriages with men trying to enter the US.
Prosecutors alleged Gonzalez instructed the couples to take selfies together and establish joint bank accounts and a life insurance policy to make their marriages appear legitimate.
In one recording allegedly captured between Gonzalez and a witness, she referred to Massachusetts's status as a 'sanctuary' state and called it a 'safe haven for immigration.'
Gonzalez allegedly revealed the fraudulent wedding scheme to a witness cooperating with federal investigators.
In June, investigators facilitated an introduction between Gonzalez and the witness, who was supposedly trying to arrange a fake marriage in order to enter the US.
'I've been doing this for more than ten years,' Gonzalez told him, per the filing. 'This is something that I'm very good at.'
She told the witness that he would marry his partner for three or three-and-a-half years, the filing said.
Gonzalez also said it could take three or four months to prepare the fraudulent paperwork to make the marriage happen.
The witness allegedly asked Gonzalez what would happen if his sham wife fell in love with him, to which she replied: 'We're not here for love.'
Gonzalez allegedly proposed Alejandro, who investigators believe is her sister-in-law, to be the witness' wife.
Alejandro already had two prior marriages with Brazilians who did not have legal status in the US at the time, according to the affidavit. Immigration investigators determined that both of her marriages were fraudulent.
Still, Gonzalez allegedly told the witness that Alejandro – his 'best option' – had been married once but 'not for documents as much as I know' and that 'these girls are very, very vetted.'
Gonzalez was allegedly captured directing the signing of a disguised 'loan' contract and accepting a $3,000 cash down payment for arranging the sham marriage.
She allegedly told the witness that the contract intentionally did not mention the spouse because that could be 'incriminating.'
The filing claimed Gonzalez said putting 'purchasing a wife for immigration purposes' in a contract would be 'pretty bad.'
Customers allegedly made ongoing $500 monthly payments to their fake spouse to keep up the fraudulent marriage.
Images in the affidavit showed Tavares in May 2018 during a sham marriage with someone authorities claimed was an illegal migrant from Brazil.
Daniels was also photographed in the legal document marrying a Brazilian illegal migrant, albeit in August 2024.
In one recorded meeting described in the affidavit, Gonzalez allegedly said that she had stopped doing weddings towards the end of 2024 when her husband got sick and 'when Trump was becoming a president.'
Gonzalez allegedly added that she did not work the following year either 'because immigration was a little bit harsh,' per the filing.
In another exchange, she stressed that 'we're in a new government' where 'things are a little bit more difficult.'
'We both gotta make sure that everything's done correctly,' Gonzalez said, per the affidavit.
She also said that 'Trump doesn't like this state because the government from here [...] the state defends us very much.'
Gonzalez allegedly said in recorded conversations that she used the money to buy property and other assets for herself and her children in the Dominican Republic, which she called 'my country.'
Leah Foley, the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, said Gonzalez 'got rich off selling the American dream, all the while investing her money in another country.'
Foley said Gonzalez also allegedly defrauded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from 2019 through 2026, receiving more than $124,000 in benefits during that time.
Gonzalez, Daniels, Alejandro, Pugh and Tavares were arrested on Wednesday morning. Hill is already in state prison serving a sentence for a firearms offense.
The six women were scheduled to make their initial appearances in court Wednesday afternoon.
[Reuters] New Mexico has filed a civil lawsuit to block payments from Jeffrey Epstein's estate to the late sex offender's lawyer and accountant, and to recover damages for survivors of his alleged sexual abuse, the state's top law enforcement official said on Wednesday.
The suit is the first law enforcement action against Epstein's longtime personal attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn, according to New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez.
The lawsuit alleges Indyke and Kahn facilitated, financed, and concealed Epstein's sex trafficking operation, including at his ranch 30 miles south of New Mexico's capital Santa Fe. They are co-executors of Epstein's estate, valued at $107 million, and respectively eligible for bequests of $50 million and $25 million from it, according to the complaint.
Daniel Weiner, a lawyer representing Indyke and Kahn, rejected allegations the two "knowingly" facilitated Epstein's abuse of women, saying the crimes took place "behind closed doors, in secluded locations" when neither was present.
The suit will test whether authorities are able to pin down allegations that a network of people and financial arrangements helped sustain and conceal Epstein's operations.
“Jeffrey Epstein did not operate alone, and his death does not end the pursuit of accountability for the people who helped make his crimes possible,” Torrez said at a press conference in Albuquerque. He was joined by two survivors of Epstein's alleged abuse, Julia Molchanova and Anouska De Georgiou.
Indyke and Kahn have already been named in civil lawsuits against the Epstein estate, including a complaint last month seeking damages for people pictured in the late financier's collection of child sexual abuse material.
"Not a single woman has ever accused Mr. Indyke or Mr. Kahn of committing sexual abuse or witnessing sexual abuse," Weiner said in a statement, adding that the New Mexico attorney general's office had made no effort to interview the men before filing the lawsuit.
New Mexico's civil action comes after the Democratic-run state in February reopened an investigation into activities at Epstein's Zorro Ranch in New Mexico, where he is accused of abusing women and girls for nearly three decades.
Eight months into the probe, New Mexico has yet to file any criminal charges.
The state has sued the US Department of Justice for access to unredacted files on Epstein, accusing the Trump administration of stonewalling its investigation.
The DOJ said it providedsome files but was prevented from handing over most material due to privacy protections.
Molchanova and De Georgiou, both prominent survivors of Epstein's sex trafficking network, applauded the New Mexico lawsuit to stop Indyke and Kahn profiting any further from the late sex-offender's estate.
"Accountability cannot end with Epstein and Maxwell, it must extend to those who knowingly made their abuse possible, especially those who stand to profit from it," said De Georgiou, a key witness at the trial of Epstein's partner Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for sex trafficking of a minor and related conspiracy.
[Breitbart] Police arrested a Richmond, Virginia, man after his wife reported him for binding her to a chair and putting her in the basement so he could watch football without interruptions. It is possible, if you know enough about the game, to watch football without the sound on.
Police were called to the home of Terry Ward, 64, on Sunday, October 11, and arrested the man, charging him with “abduction” and misdemeanor assault and battery against a family or household member for forcibly restraining his wife by duct-taping her to a chair in the couple’s home.
“When I arrived on scene, [the wife] stated that her husband had tied her to a chair with tape in the basement,” a police report reads, according to WTVR-TV. “Terry stated that he did indeed tie his wife [name redacted] to a chair and place[d] her down in the basement.”
Officers also noted that the woman said she was trapped in the chair for nearly an hour and had bruises and contusions on her arms from being restrained in the chair.
The reports added that Ward told officers that he restrained his wife in the basement so he could watch the game in peace upstairs. Hopefully, he draws a Virginia Tech grad for a judge.
#2
Dude is a dork.
Court case is Nov 10.
I'm curious if they divorce.
Imagine how annoying she must have been for him to duct tape and move her the basement. What is it, three hour games, three hours a week to not nag your man is not a big ask.
[NYPost] Two Staten Island adult daycare operators allegedly bilked Medicaid out of more than half a million dollars by billing for hundreds of seniors they never served — including some who were dead or out of the country, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Yangsim Oum, 79, and her daughter, 49-year-old Juyone Choe — the respective owner and program director of SI Day Care Center, Inc. on Forest Avenue — were arrested Tuesday in an investigation dubbed “Operation Golden Grift” by the Staten Island District Attorney’s Office.
The pair were slapped with a staggering 457-count indictment charging them with pocketing more than $530,000 in bogus billings in just four months from April 17 to August 25.
That eye-watering sum included $13,000 for services supposedly provided to at least 32 seniors who turned out to be dead or overseas at the time, according to prosecutors.
The mother-daughter duo was “one of Staten Island’s most lucrative con artists,” District Attorney Michael McMahon railed at a press conference announcing the indictment.
“All these defendants saw were dollar signs,” he fumed, accusing Oum and Choe of “using and abusing our borough’s seniors as pawns in a vast criminal enterprise.”
Oum and Choe each face up to 15 years behind bars if convicted of the top count, healthcare fraud in the second degree. They also face hundreds of counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
McMahon warned there were “countless” other criminals running similar alleged scams.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “As far as we can tell, countless other adult daycare centers are engaged in similar criminal activities.”
They were just two of the about 100 senior care providers across the city targeted in a sprawling operation Tuesday involving both state, local and federal authorities investigating potential Medicaid fraud.
“The New York State Department of Health and the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General joined state and federal law enforcement agencies in a coordinated crackdown on suspected fraud in the social adult daycare program,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said alongside McMahon.
“The investigation targets providers suspected of illegal activities, including money laundering, kickbacks, improper billing and fraudulent activities,” he said.
“These efforts have resulted in more than 100 referrals to the attorney general for investigation and prosecution.”
Agents from Homeland Security Investigations and agencies were seen flooding adult daycare centers in Brooklyn and filling cars with armloads of sealed boxes marked “evidence,” while Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, visited two facilities in Queens.
The raids followed a months-long investigation, which Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday was part of a “massive effort to combat fraud and abuse” on the part of the state and the feds.
Adult daycare centers typically serve seniors who need help because of physical or cognitive decline, and keep the elders fed, safe and occupied during the day if family is unavailable to care for them.
#1
fraud going on all over the place while Tish James, the AG, was looking for Republicans to prosecute for jaywalking and fraternity boys for agreeing to have sex with a gal who got drunk by herself in her dorm then invited herself to a frat party
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
10/22/2026 13:27 Comments ||
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#2
What is an adult day care facility? What do they do there?Do the seniors have to be potty trained?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/22/2026 13:59 Comments ||
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#3
^Bingo and crap like that. Medicare carriers go and run the games and get to discuss their plans.
I had to do it for a couple carriers before I couldn't take any longer
[Bravity] A Florida A&M University sports commentator is getting slammed after remarks deemed as body-shaming in reference to Alabama State University’s dance team during a halftime show.
Over the weekend, HBCU pride was in full effect at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, FL, for the matchup between FAMU and ASU. According to WCTC, the atmosphere in the stadium was positive until announcer Joe Bullard made some insensitive comments toward ASU’s Honey Beez majorette dancers, the school’s renowned team of curvy dancers.
While the ladies walked off the field after performing at the halftime show, he called them "the new face of Ozempic," which shocked the crowd.
DEI is obviously alive and well. No real need to open either site (Bravity or Mailonline) for the fotos.
[Reuters] Nigeria's first Ebola patient in over a decade was not tested for the disease until 13 days after falling ill, officials said, a delay that raises questions about authorities' ability to contain an outbreak already spanning four African nations.
The epidemic, first detected 3,000 km away in Democratic Republic of Congo in May, is the second-largest on record and had already hit Uganda and Kenya before the Nigerian case was confirmed on Tuesday — the widest known spread on the continent.
here.
The patient, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat, arrived in Nigeria's capital Abuja, a major travel hub, on October 3 after a two-week holiday in Uganda, Dr Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa's top public health body, told Reuters.
'NO-ONE IS SAFE TODAY'
She fell ill three days later, Kaseya said, citing the account given by Nigerian authorities. Initially suspecting malaria, she sought treatment at several facilities before being tested for Ebola on October 19.
"When we identified at-risk countries, Nigeria was not part of this list. It is now," said Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
That list would have to be redrawn and North and Southern Africa could also be at risk, he added. "We need to consider that no-one is safe today."
The late detection would complicate efforts to trace people the woman may have infected, he said. Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone showing symptoms.
"We need to identify all the contacts... this one is a little bit tough for someone who took almost two weeks without being tested, coming into contact with health workers, family members, friends," Kaseya said.
Nigeria has identified 44 contacts so far, a number Kaseya and other Ebola experts said was bound to rise.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there is no vaccine or treatment. It has infected more than 9,500 people and killed more than 4,600 in Congo alone.
'THIS IS FAR FROM OVER'
Uganda reported 20 cases in May and June, mostly imported from Congo, but the World Health Organization declared the country Ebola-free in August.
Ugandan authorities have said the woman who fell ill in Nigeria had travelled to eastern Congo before transiting through Uganda.
Nigerian officials said they have not confirmed that.
"Our case did not have confirmed travel to DRC. So we presume it was likely picked in Uganda," Nigeria's Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate told state television on Tuesday.
Kaseya said the Africa CDC was seeking clarification from both countries and from the woman herself.
Whether she was in Congo is an important question, said Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who sits on the World Health Organization's Ebola emergency committee.
If she was, it would reinforce worries about the efficacy of screening at borders and in airports, she said. If not, it would raise the possibility that she somehow got infected in Uganda.
"Either way, it confirms that this is far from over," she said.
Nigerian officials have pointed to the country's handling of a case during the West African outbreak in 2014-2016, saying the country is fully prepared to deal with the disease.
But Dr Ayoade Alakija, a Nigerian physician and co-chair of a G7 committee for investment in global health, noted that the first case to reach Nigeria in that outbreak involved a patient who flew from Liberia and was immediately hospitalized.
[FOX] The Orionid meteor shower is peaking this week, and it promises to be one of the most dazzling displays of the year. And while some of you will have clear skies, rain and clouds could impact the view for others.
Here's what you need to know about the Orionids and your forecast:
Fast facts
Peak day: The meteor shower peaks Wednesday night, Oct. 21, into the early hours of Thursday morning, Oct. 22.
Peak time: From midnight to dawn are the best hours to catch the meteors streaking through the sky, so plan on a late night or really early morning.
What the Orionids are known for: The Orionid meteors are known for their brightness and their speed. As they streak across the sky at around 41 miles per second, the meteors leave behind a glowing "train" that can last several seconds to minutes.
The forecast by region
While you can make the perfect plan to catch the Orionids, the key to stellar viewing is still in Mother Nature's hands.
The good news is that many of you should have good meteor shower-watching conditions. Much of the central and eastern U.S. are forecast to have clear skies in the early morning hours on Thursday.
But, there are a couple of potential problem areas:
Rockies, Southwest
Thicker cloud cover could impact sky-watchers in the Four Corners region. Home to numerous dark sky parks, what would normally be a prime area for seeing meteors speed across the sky will likely not be the best spot to catch the Orionids this year.
West Coast
Parts of California, Oregon and Washington could have some trouble with clouds as well. While there are still some pockets of the West Coast that could have clear viewing, you'll want to monitor your forecast closely.
The East Coast caveat
While much of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast looks clear for now, there is a nor'easter brewing off the East Coast that will linger mid-to-late week.
Now that we're closer to the day of the peak, we have a better idea of where clouds from the storm will be thickest, and it's mostly focused from New York City to New England.
But, if you're thinking you might still take a chance with the clouds, keep in mind they aren't the only concern.
Rain and storms will creep into the West this week as tropical moisture is once again funneled into the region. Flooding will be a concern Wednesday and Thursday, so skywatching will likely be a no-go for parts of California, Nevada and the Four Corners.
[Garowe] Tigray rebels on Tuesday claimed to have killed more than 1,500 Æthiopian soldiers in two days of fighting in the country's northern Tigray region.
The claim came as Æthiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warned neighboring Eritrea ...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age... of severe consequences for allegedly supporting gangs fighting his government.
Negash Hiluf, an official of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), said rebel fighters killed 1,511 federal soldiers and maimed 1,050 others during festivities on Oct. 17 and 18.
"Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) intercepted Æthiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) troops near Mirena ... inflicting 1,511 fatalities and wounding 1,050 others," Hiluf said.
His remarks came in a video briefing carried by the pro-opposition Tigray Media Corporation.
Æthiopia has not yet commented on Tigray’s claim.
The TPLF said the festivities occurred around Mirena in central Tigray as government troops attempted to advance toward the town of Adet.
The group also claimed to have killed 11 members of the Tigray Peace Force, an armed faction aligned with the federal government.
The casualty figures could not be independently verified. Neither the Æthiopian government nor the military has publicly responded to the rebel group's claims.
Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had a cup of coffee. Even instant would do... Abiy accused Eritrea of supporting Tigray forces seeking to destabilize Æthiopia and warned its government against ignoring calls for cooperation.
"I believe that opting to be a host of enemies instead of partner in development is not beneficial. However,
facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... the consequence of giving a deaf ear to our calls will be very, very, very severe," Abiy said.
He made the remarks in an interview broadcast by the state-owned Æthiopian Broadcasting Corporation.
Abiy said cooperation between the neighboring countries offered a better future than military confrontation and urged Eritrean authorities to prioritize economic development and peaceful relations.
Æthiopia has repeatedly accused Eritrean forces of crossing its northern border and assisting the TPLF, allegations rejected by Asmara.
Eritrea, meanwhile, has accused Æthiopia of seeking to seize its Red Sea port of Assab, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
The latest rebel claims followed reports of Æthiopian military withdrawals from Adwa and Rama, near the Eritrean border, after attacks by TPLF rebels.
Federal troops had earlier captured Mekelle, Tigray's regional capital, and several other towns during an offensive following the resumption of major hostilities on Sept. 23.
Addis Ababa has since announced a six-month caretaker administration for Tigray as it seeks to consolidate federal control and restore public services.
The TPLF is also part of the Alliance for Survival, a coalition of seven armed and political groups formed in September to challenge Abiy's government.
[NYPost] El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele said Wednesday he had launched a military operation to rescue four Salvadoran aviation technicians kidnapped by gangs in Haiti, warning of a more forceful response if they are not released alive and unharmed.
The announcement comes three days after gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armored vehicle over the weekend, marking the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operations in the violence-wracked Caribbean country. After fleeing the burning vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince, the four men went missing.
Addressing Haitian gang leaders, Bukele demanded that they return the Salvadorans “alive, unharmed” and warned that, if they do so, “everything will go back to the way it was before the kidnapping.” If not, the Salvadoran leader — who drew international attention for his contentious war on his own country’s gangs — said it would result in a more powerful operation.
It was not immediately clear if Bukele intended any further action to be carried out by Salvadoran forces or wider security forces present in the area.
Haiti’s government issued a news release on Wednesday evening saying that the “abduction” of the Salvadoran soldiers is an “absolute priority.”
[Reuters] The US and Myanmar's military-backed government held talks in Tokyo last week, people familiar with the matter said, their second meeting in a month as Washington steps up re-engagement with the generals it shunned after their 2021 coup.
Earlier talks in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw in mid-September focused on securing the release of an American businessman and shutting down scam centers that target Americans, but could pave the way for broader discussions, including on Myanmar’s rare-earth mineral deposits, Reuters previously reported.
It was not immediately clear exactly what the two sides discussed at last week's talks, disclosed to Reuters by three people with knowledge of the engagement. The people, including one US official, all spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the meeting.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Michael Vance again led the Tokyo talks, which involved more than a dozen US officials, one of the people said. Reuters could not establish who represented Myanmar.
The US State Department declined to comment on Vance's presence in the delegation but said the bureau he heads was not playing a leading role on US policy toward Myanmar.
The department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs is "shaping, implementing and engaging on" US policy toward the country, a spokesperson said, while Vance's Bureau of Intelligence and Research "informs policy makers but does not lead on policy."
A major focus of the US push is securing Myanmar's help in shutting down scam hubs that run romance and other frauds and have swindled Americans out of billions of dollars, the people said.
Researchers say many scam operations are based in areas controlled by army-backed militia, with some proceeds flowing to the military, raising doubts about whether Myanmar's leaders are serious about enforcement. Myanmar's military-backed government has said it is participating in a multinational effort to curb scam centres.
US officials have also discussed access to Myanmar's large deposits of heavy rare earths, which are used in products ranging from electric vehicles to wind turbines. US officials acknowledge significant obstacles: the deposits are largely located in territory controlled by ethnic armed groups fighting the military, while China, the main buyer of Myanmar rare earths, could balk at any US role.
The US last week lifted sanctions on the daughter of a Myanmar businessman accused of supporting the country's military, saying the move was part of a new approach to the country.
"This approach highlights the importance of pursuing dialogue with all groups involved in Burma’s civil war and commits to re-examining the range of tools the United States has historically leveraged to promote core interests in the country," the State Department said of the sanctions move.
Min Aung Hlaing remains under US sanctions for human rights abuses, including for his role in the coup and crushing a subsequent popular uprising, and the 2016-2017 mass killings and expulsions of Rohingya Muslims that Washington declared a genocide. The armed forces have killed thousands of people in airstrikes since the putsch, which sparked widespread civil war, the United Nations says.
The latest engagements in Japan show the Trump administration views Myanmar through a "purely transactionalist lens," said Hunter Marston, Southeast Asia director at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank.
"The critical minerals and rare earths that Myanmar holds are viewed as probably the chief strategic asset that Washington is interested in within Myanmar," Marston said.
[Reuters] The Philippines is exploring deeper cooperation with Taiwan on protecting undersea cables and addressing "gray-zone" activity, despite Manila's one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing and not Taipei, a Philippine diplomat said on Wednesday.
The Philippines and Taiwan have repeatedly complained about Chinese activities designed to pressure the countries without direct confrontation. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has overlapping claims with both Taiwan and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
Felipe F. Carino III, Manila's deputy chief of mission in Washington, told a seminar this "pragmatic and practical approach" with Taiwan was necessary to protect mutual interests in the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Speaking to Washington's Center for a New American Security, Carino linked cable security to South China Sea tensions, but did not mention China by name.
He said security of undersea cables was vital given that they carried nearly all intercontinental data flows "and that 60-67% of cyber incidents happen in our region."
"These are very important features that should be protected, so much so that we are exploring deeper cooperation with our friends in Taiwan," Carino said, adding that the Philippines was doing so "notwithstanding our one China policy."
He said the Philippines and Taiwan were exploring "practical and more pragmatic approaches in cooperation, including knowledge-sharing and capacity building" and added: "We see this cooperation leading towards ... addressing the gray-zone issues in our part of the world."
Asked if this cooperation could include joint patrols or accountability for vessels that disrupt communications, Carino said he did not have details, but said: "I'm sure that this is a constantly evolving cooperation, and some of the things that you mentioned may be actually coming to fruition."
Taipei has stepped up efforts to protect undersea communications links, which are vital to the island's connections to the rest of the world, after several incidents involving cables and China-linked vessels.
This month, the Philippines' coast guard said it had deployed its largest vessel and an aircraft to challenge a Chinese research ship operating off northern Batanes province near undersea cable corridors.
At the same seminar, Andrea Yang, Taiwan's deputy representative in Washington, referred to the jailing in Taiwan of a Chinese ship captain over damage to an undersea cable. She said Taiwan would put more resources into developing unmanned systems to improve maritime surveillance.
[Reuters] Government websites in Europe and elsewhere went offline on Wednesday after the disclosure of critical vulnerabilities in a widely used programming language sent website operators around the world scrambling to protect their systems.
Developers of the PHP programming language on Wednesday released urgent new fixes to vulnerabilities that had been lurking in their software for years until they were uncovered using AI, saying all users were "encouraged to update immediately."
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With tech firms warning that some hackers were already exploiting the flaws, government agencies across Europe were among those that took sites offline as a precaution.
Because a fix is now public and artificial intelligence tools are able to reverse engineer the bug with little effort, experts said they were bracing for a wave of intrusions as hackers jumped to get ahead of the updates.
AI was powering a "race to exploit," said Costin Raiu, co-founder of cybersecurity research and incident response firm TLP:Black. He said the next step was the "mass compromise of every vulnerable web server on the internet."
PHP — a language that dates back to the early 1990s and initially stood for "Personal Home Page" — underpins huge parts of the public-facing web and is baked into WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and Magento sites, meaning any critical vulnerability potentially has enormous knock-on consequences.
"All servers using any version of PHP released in the last 20 years will be vulnerable," said Tiffany Farriss, the interim chief executive of the Drupal Association. "This issue impacts the majority of the internet."
Cybersecurity agencies around the world have urged PHP users to update immediately or take websites offline until patches can be applied.
According to data from Censys, the internet intelligence firm, about 1.5 million out of 2.6 million hosts report running a version of PHP for which there is no fix.
The Dutch cybersecurity agency itself went offline, saying it had done so as a precaution because of the vulnerabilities. The operator of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia also said it had taken down an unspecified number of systems until they could be safely patched, while the Internet Archive, the sprawling online library, said it also briefly went offline to deal with the issue.
#2
I never trusted php. On my website logs (in the old days when I had to work for a living) I always saw hackers looking for it. For so many hackers to be looking for it as if it was some kind of a vulnerability made me think that it really is some kind of a vulnerability.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/22/2026 14:05 Comments ||
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#3
Sorry. I know that Rantburg uses php. I'm just relating my observations. I see that CERT issued a security advisory on Oct 20 in regards to php. But, as I recall from the old days when I worked as the sys admin of a web server, CERT used to issue such advisories about php on a regular basis.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/22/2026 14:12 Comments ||
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#4
Why be sorry, my dear? You are a subject matter expert relaying your own experience.
[FoxBusinessNews] New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the ruling was one of the largest ever against Meta by a single state
Meta Platforms has been ordered to pay $25 billion after a New Mexico jury found the company misled Facebook users over its handling of personal data and other practices in a case stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
New Mexico Judge Francis Mathew issued the penalty Wednesday after jurors found last month that Meta made dozens of misleading statements to users.
"Facebook's wrongdoing — over the course of years and systematically broadcast to the public — goes to the heart of Facebook's core business practices," Mathew wrote in his order.
The now-defunct Cambridge Analytica, which worked for President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, obtained information from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party app without their consent.
New Mexico sued Meta in 2021, accusing the company of misleading users about who could access their personal information and how it handled harmful content on the platform.
Jurors found that 26 of 29 statements examined during the trial were misleading and determined that Meta committed more than 43 million violations of New Mexico's consumer protection laws.
Mathew said the violations could have resulted in a penalty of more than $219 billion under state law but ultimately reduced the amount to $25 billion. Meta had urged Mathew to limit the penalty to $3.45 billion.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the ruling was one of the largest ever against Meta by a single state.
"It has been a long time coming holding Big Tech accountable," Torrez said.
"I think today's judgment is a clear break with that past and a very clear warning to those in this space and beyond that we intend to protect our people and protect our consumers."
Meta said it plans to appeal the ruling.
"This ruling, and the Attorney General's approach to this enforcement, makes it all but impossible to do business in the state of New Mexico," C.J. Mahoney, Meta's chief legal officer, said in a statement.
"At its core, this lawsuit seeks to impose a tax on speech to enforce new rules for what people can say online. We are confident we will prevail on appeal. In the meantime, Meta will continue to build a safe and free platform to connect millions of Americans, grow small businesses, and help the country maintain its competitive edge."
The appeals and political interference help Meta will get in this case. Likely means it won't be finally bartered down and resolved for 5 to 12 more years.
#2
I am seeing a lucrative and sustainable business model here:
Blue states sue Meta over violations of user's illusiory privacy, and get a pay day.
Meta pays 10% and gets a write-off. Wash, rinse and repeat.
The Blue states will need to coordinate on timing and take turns so they don't kill the goose. Informally, of course.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Russia is preparing several tankers for loading as part of the diesel deal with the United States, the first of which will depart in 2-3 days. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this on October 21 during a meeting with US Presidential Special Envoy Steven Witkoff in St. Petersburg.
"We're preparing to ship several vessels at once, tankers right now. The first tanker will depart in two to three days, carrying 40,000 tons, and they'll follow one after another," the Russian leader noted.
Putin also emphasized that, thanks to the diesel deal between Russia and the United States, global prices for this type of fuel fell by 5–6%.
On October 9, Putin held a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, during which the two discussed, among other things, global energy issues. The Russian leader expressed his willingness to supply oil and petroleum products to the US and global markets. Subsequently, the US Treasury, at Trump's direction, issued a temporary license for Russian diesel fuel exports. The American president stated that Russia is ready to export up to 3 million tons of fuel per month.
#1
"The American president stated that Russia is ready to export up to 3 million tons of fuel per month."
Its a good start.
That should be enough for around 150,000 Semi's for 30 days.
But will it drop the price of diesel, still at around $5.90+ a gallon?
PLUS A QUESTIONN
With Ukraine refusing peace negotiations and still sending massive drone swamps to Russian (fuel facilities and ports).
Will the DC Swamp be forced to finally pull the plug on the Socialist Democrat Dictatorship run in Ukraine? A war that is more than likely feeding a few dozen DC Swamp pockets via stocks and side deals.
[The Hill] Fewer Americans than last year think the federal government is effective at making a positive impact on people’s lives, according to a new poll released Wednesday.
In the Bentley University-Gallup Business in Society survey, about 43 percent of respondents said the federal government has been effective in making a positive impact on people’s lives. This is down 8 percentage points from last year.
The federal government is also the institution least trusted to act in society’s best interest, with 26 percent of respondents saying so.
The federal government is among four institutions measured in the new survey, which also included business, state and local governments, and charitable and advocacy organizations. It is also the one which saw the largest drop in perceived effectiveness. Add one: Corporate Media. See how that plays out for ya
About 26 percent of Americans said they trust the federal government to act in society’s best interest, down 5 points from last year. Unless I missed something, there appears to be no mention of personal responsibility.
[The Liberty Daily] (DCNF)—The Department of War (DOW) is equipping snipers with a rifle using a technology it discarded for front-line troops over 85 years ago.
The Barrett MRAD rifle was selected by DOW to serve as the Mk 22 Precision Sniper Rifle. The Army is paying the Tennessee gun manufacturer $49.9 million for 2,800 rifles, while the Marine Corps is acquiring another 250, according to Soldier of Fortune. The Mk 22 comes in three calibers: 7.62x51mm NATO, .300 Norma Magnum and .338 Norma Magnum. It has a ten-round detachable magazine and uses a bolt-action system, which at first glance seems obsolete, but one former sniper told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the older system was still useful.
"Bolt action rifles are more consistent, more reliable, more durable, easier to maintain in the field," attorney Ryan Cleckner, a former sniper with the United States Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, told the DCNF. "Secondary, kind of like, I’m not a NASCAR fan, I don’t know if you are, but NASCAR, they still use manual transmissions, they still shift with the clutch when we have great automatic transmissions in cars now. Why? Well, because an automatic transmission is too complicated, too finicky, and doesn’t allow the amount of control and robustness that the manual transmission needs. That’s a fair analogy to bolt action rifles."
"When it comes to a rifle extracting a spent case, especially when it gets dirty or it is not perfect lubrication around in battlefield conditions, I, as a sniper grabbing the bolt handle, can easily rip the cartridge case out with my arm and push the next one in" Cleckner continued. "But if you’re relying on gas systems and things like that to work, they don’t always work. And then now you have a malfunction and your gun’s not even working, which is much, much slower than a bolt."
The United States ditched bolt-action rifles for regular infantrymen in the months prior to World War II, replacing the M1903 Springfield with the M1 Garand to give troops additional firepower. Since then, regular infantrymen have used the M14, M16, and M7 rifles alongside the M4 and M8 carbines.
"The Army has fielded both gas and bolt operated sniper systems in multiple calibers. Each system meets distinct Warfighter requirements across a range of operational environments," a U.S. Army spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. "The Mk 22 Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) reflects a balanced, capability-based requirement that prioritizes deliberate precision, first-round hit probability, modularity, and mission adaptability."
#5
There are over a dozen .308 bolt action rifles that commonly shoot 1/2 MOA or better (Blaser, GA Precision, Ed Brown, etc). There are much fewer semi-automatic (think AR10) rifles that consistently deliver at 1/2 MOA or better (Rhino, Les Baer, ?). For context, 1/2 MOA at 800 yards would hit inside a 4 inch circle.
All that being said - an FPV drone can be deployed from far further away, approach from a random direction and is ultimately more efficient in 99% of circumstances.
And always nice to have the expert opinion of a Batt Boy on the topic (sua sponte)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
10/22/2026 13:40 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Drag your rifle through the mud, water (river, lake, ocean, bog, etc.) and sand and such and see if it still work accurately.
A quick cleaning of essential components may be needed, ya know, shake the sand out of the barrel and so on, not a total tear down, clean and reassembly.
[NYP] The Air Force sergeant who died after he plunged 170 feet during a rope rappelling exhibit before a college football game had been selected to perform the dangerous stunt at the annual show for the first time, his father said.
TSgt Ian "Patty" Patterson, 33, was remembered as a "wonderful husband and dad" during his 15 years of military service before his fatal fall from the rafters of the Alamodome ahead of the University of Texas at San Antonio vs. Navy game on Saturday.
"I was very excited. I believe he wanted to do it last year as well," Patterson’s father, John Patterson, told WDRB+WAVE. "He didn’t do it last year. So this year he had the opportunity." Absolutely sickening.
#1
As was mentioned earlier... "training/rehearsals" where were they? Someone in the chain of command is responsible. I hope there's an Article-32 investigation underway.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Sheriff's deputies found a large metal object, believed to be of space origin, in a cornfield in Scott Township, Minnesota, People magazine reported.
The Stevens County Sheriff's Office received a report of an unusual discovery on October 14. Upon arrival, officers saw a round metal object approximately 11 feet in diameter (approximately 3.3 m) in a field.
The issue of removing space debris is currently being resolved.
As the National Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) explained to the publication, such space debris typically refers to the collection of defunct artificial objects. This could include old satellites, spent rocket stages, or fragments resulting from collisions and breakups in space.
Space debris enters the Earth's atmosphere every day. Most of these fragments burn up before reaching the planet's surface.
Previously, a meteor caused a double-explosion -like roar upon entering the Earth's atmosphere over the US state of Massachusetts. It burned up upon entry.
In March, street surveillance cameras in several US states captured the fall of a meteor. According to NASA, it exploded in the sky with the force of 250 tons of TNT.
#1
"A large space object fell into a cornfield in the United States, resulting in a baseball stadium magically popped up overnight along with several reels of some film."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[AP] NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, one of the state’s most powerful Democrats, was charged on Thursday in connection with what federal authorities alleged was a role leading a wide-ranging criminal enterprise that acquired and distributed large quantities of marijuana and laundered the proceeds.
[The Hill] Fewer Americans than last year think the federal government is effective at making a positive impact on people’s lives, according to a new poll released Wednesday.
