Secret Service dismantles threat around UN capable of crippling NYC cell service
The U.S. Secret Service has dismantled a massive hidden telecom network in New York. Investigators say the system could have crippled cell towers and jammed 911 calls. The cache included over 300 SIM servers with more than 100,000 SIM cards. It was located within 35 miles of the United Nations. The network could have blacked out cellular service, especially during the United Nations General Assembly. Officials have not uncovered a direct plot against the assembly. Forensic analysis is ongoing, and authorities suspect nation-state actors. The operation highlights new risks to the invisible infrastructure of modern cities.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don’t see — on their feeds? A lawsuit filed against Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. is arguing that a federal law often used to shield internet companies from liability also allows people to use external tools to take control of their feed — even if that means shutting it off entirely. The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Meta Platforms on behalf of an Amherst professor who wants to release a tool to let users unfollow all the content fed to them by Facebook’s algorithm.
Powerball jackpot: Laos born immigrant with cancer wins $1.3 billion
One of the winners of a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot this month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week. Cheng “Charlie” Saephan told a news conference held by the Oregon Lottery on Monday that he and his wife would take half the money, and the other half would go to a friend who chipped in $100 to buy a batch of tickets with them. Saephan said he'd buy a house and find a good doctor for himself. Saephan said he was born in Laos and moved to Thailand in 1987, before immigrating to the U.S. in 1994.
Dozens of deaths reveal risks of sedating people restrained by police
An investigation led by The Associated Press has found that the practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts. The injections are given by medical personnel during police encounters. The investigation shows how a strategy intended to reduce violence and save lives has resulted in some avoidable deaths. While sedatives were mentioned as a cause or contributing factor in a dozen official death rulings, authorities often didn’t even investigate whether injections were appropriate in the 94 deaths identified by the AP over a decade. About half of the 94 who died were Black.
New York City plans to wipe out $2 billion in medical debt for 500,000 residents
New York City Mayor Eric Adams says the city intends to wipe out more than $2 billion in medical debt for up to 500,000 residents. The city is working with RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that buys medical debt in bulk from hospitals and debt collectors for pennies on the dollar. Under the program, the city will spend $18 million over three years. The mayor said medical debt is the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy in the United States. He called the debt relief program the largest municipal initiative of its kind in the country, though RIP Medical Debt has worked with other municipalities.
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