Republicans Appeal Wisconsin Leftist Judge’s Order Changing Absentee Ballot Rules

The judge’s order permits voters with certain disabilities to electronically obtain an absentee ballot.

Millions of emails containing sensitive US military information have been sent to a Russian ally for years because of a typo



Military personnel have not only intentionally shared sensitive information with adversaries in recent years but have done so unwittingly as well.

According to a new Financial Times report, millions of U.S. military emails have been incorrectly sent to a close Russian ally over the course of at least a decade.

Messages intended for ".MIL" accounts, which are connected to an American-owned internet domain, were instead sent to the ".ML" domain, which is alternatively associated with the West African country of Mali.

These emails have reportedly included highly sensitive information, including "diplomatic documents, tax returns, passwords and the travel details of top officers."

The CIA's "World Factbook" indicates that Mali has increased security ties with Russia in recent years. Moscow has also provided the Islamic terrorism-plagued nation with substantial military equipment and training. There are presently an estimated 1,000 Russian military contractors in Mali.

Johannes Zuurbier, the Dutch internet entrepreneur who serves as managing director of the Amsterdam-based Mali Dili, has managed Mali's internet domain since 2013. He reportedly raised this issue with the U.S. nearly 10 years ago and has collected well over 100,000 misdirected messages since.

In his latest attempt to press the U.S. to take corrective action, he stated, "This risk is real and could be exploited by adversaries of the US."

That risk of exploitation will now greatly increase because as of Monday, Zuurbier will no longer manage the domain. Instead, Mali's government will be directly intercepting stray American military emails.

The Times noted that while many of the misdirected emails are spam, some contain "X-rays and medical data, identity document information, crew lists for ships, staff lists at bases, maps of installations, photos of bases, naval inspection reports, contracts, criminal complaints against personnel, internal investigations into bullying, official travel itineraries, bookings, and tax and financial records."

The travel itinerary for Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville's May trip to Indonesia was among the misdirected emails, right down to his hotel room number.

Another email in Zuurbier's collection was reportedly from an FBI agent intended for a Navy official with regard to a visit at an FBI facility.

Another misdirected message sent by an FBI agent reportedly detailed an "urgent Turkish diplomatic letter to the US state department about possible operations by the militant Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK) against Turkish interest in the US."

The same federal agent also sent along a "sensitive" briefing concerning efforts by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to co-opt Iranian students and the Telegram messaging app to wage espionage operations in America.

Such data could help America's enemies plan attacks, assassinations, extortion campaigns, and more.

Mike Rogers, a retired four-star Navy admiral and the second commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, told the Times, "If you have this kind of sustained access, you can generate intelligence even just from unclassified information," adding, "It's not out of the norm that people make mistakes but the question is the scale, the duration and the sensitivity of the information."

Rogers intimated that the transfer of the domain's control to the Mali government poses a serious problem, particularly if it "sees it as an advantage that they can use."

Steven Stransky, a lawyer who previously served as senior counsel to the Department of Homeland Security's Intelligence Law Division, told the BBC, "Those sorts of communications would mean that a foreign actor can start building dossiers on our own military personnel, for espionage purposes, or could try to get them to disclose information in exchange for financial benefit. ... It's certainly information that a foreign government can use."

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman told CNN in a statement Monday, "The Department of Defense (DoD) is aware of this issue and takes all unauthorized disclosures of Controlled National Security Information or Controlled Unclassified Information seriously."

Gorman also suggested that the DOD "has implemented policy, training, and technical controls to ensure that emails from the '.mil' domain are not delivered to incorrect domains."

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh revealed Monday that the DOD has preemptively blocked its email accounts from emailing the Mali addresses.

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'I saw true character': Mark Hamill of 'Star Wars' praises Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff in Senate campaign fundraising email



Actor Mark Hamill of "Star Wars" fame is backing Rep. Adam Schiff's (D-Calif.) U.S. Senate bid, claiming that the politician has given him "hope."

"Over the last six years, our democracy has been tested like never before. And in those dark times, Adam gave me hope," a message from Hamill declared within a Schiff Senate campaign fundraising email. "Hope that our democracy would survive. Hope that not only would we get through this, but that we would come out on the other side and our democracy could be strong again."

Kenneth P. Vogel of the New York Times tweeted a screenshot of the email. The message can also be viewed on politicalemails.org.

Schiff, who has served as a lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than two decades, announced a U.S. Senate bid earlier this year. Fellow Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee and Katie Porter are among the candidates running for the Golden State Senate seat that is currently occupied by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who will not be seeking re-election in 2024.

— (@)

"Here's the thing — it would have been easy for Adam to stay on the sidelines, and let someone else take all the heat for defending our democracy against Trump's many abuses of office," Hamill said. "But instead he stood up, and led us through dark times. And as I got to know Adam better during those years, I saw true character and determination. A willingness to put himself and his career on the line to hold a dangerous demagogue accountable."

"And nobody will be a more fearless or tireless fighter for our democracy and our state than Adam Schiff. Nobody. And with Trump running again, Adam is the best person possible to keep holding him accountable," Hamill claimed.

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Google to roll out AI tools for Gmail, Google Docs that automatically generate drafts



Google plans to unleash generative artificial intelligence tools for Gmail and Google Docs in the coming weeks that will automatically generate drafts, the Silicon Valley tech titan announced Tuesday.

"In Gmail and Google Docs, you can simply type in a topic you’d like to write about, and a draft will be instantly generated for you," Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian wrote in a post Tuesday, announcing the new features.

The new features will be rolled out to a "limited set of trusted testers" in coming weeks on a rolling basis throughout the year before making them available publicly.

Harnessing the power of generative AI will make it possible for Workspace users to "create, connect, and collaborate like never before," Google Workspace Vice President Johanna Voolich Wright said in a product announcement.

Wright noted that building AI features demands "great care" and said that the company is "building safeguards against abuse, protecting the privacy of user data, and respecting customer controls for data governance."

"AI is no replacement for the ingenuity, creativity, and smarts of real people," Wright said, noting that AI can sometimes get things wrong and oftentimes requires guidance.

More than 3 billion people already use AI-powered features in Google Workspace, the company reports. Current AI-powered features include "Smart Compose" in Gmail and auto-generated summaries in Google Docs, for example.

In addition to Gmail and Google Docs, Google Workspace also includes Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Slides, Sheets, and more.

Wright says the new AI features will include the ability to:

  • draft, reply, summarize, and prioritize Gmail (an email service)
  • brainstorm, proofread, write, and rewrite in Docs (a word processing app)
  • get auto-generated images, audio, and video for Slides (a presentation app)
  • go from raw data to insights and analysis in Sheets (a spreadsheet app)
  • enable workflows in Chat (a group communication and collaboration tool)

One of the AI tools to which users will soon have access involves the capability to assist with rewrites. Wright provided a few examples including adopting a more formal tone in an email and transforming a bullet-point list into a more narrative-like summary.

For a "playful voice," users will be able to give the "I'm feeling lucky" option a try in Gmail.

The "I'm feeling lucky" button for Google's search is among its oldest features. Hitting the button on a desktop search with Google will port you automatically to the search result Google calculates will be most relevant.

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Email scam tricks victims into handing over money, sensitive information



A revived email scam in the form of a fake PayPal invoice for a Google Pixel phone is making the rounds, and email users are warned to immediately report and delete it.

"Online scammers are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to trick people into giving them their personal and financial information," writes MalwareTips' Stelian Pilci.

"Such scams just never fade away. This week, they’ve appeared again disguised as Google Pixel phone order confirmation emails," according to Trend Micro.

How does the PayPal Pixel scam work?

The scam begins with an emailed invoice or text message purportedly from PayPal. Since the scammers create a PayPal account specifically for this purpose, the email may, at first glance, appear legitimate.

It's not.

In one version of the scam, the subject line may say "Invoice from Pixel (0223)," as MalwareTips explains.

The message inside the email will likely say Pixel, a popular smartphone developed by Google, has sent an invoice which is due on receipt.

Clicking on the link in the email will send victims to a fake PayPal login screen that closely mimics the real thing. Once you enter your PayPal login details, the fraudsters have access to your account, from which they can steal personal and financial information.

In addition, clicking through on the link may infect your device with malware.

To snag more savvy consumers who raise an eyebrow at clicking through on a link that seems sketchy, the scammers also provide a phone number. In one current version of the scam, that phone number is 1-808-320-5276, Trend Micro explains.

The "customer service" phone number is not PayPal's. If you call it, you will hear from the scammers posing as PayPal representatives who will try to convince you to hand over your sensitive information.

People who receive the email should not click any links, nor open any attachments, nor provide any information whatsoever to the scammers. Instead, users should delete the email and report it as spam, experts advise.

The screenshots below represent how the scam may appear. Consumer Protection of Western Australia posted the screenshot compilation on Facebook in February as scam alert, urging people to remain vigilant and to report any phishing attempts that hit users' inboxes. In the United States, references to AUD would be replaced with American dollars.

scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net


What should phishing victims do?

Phishing scams are designed to steal passwords, account numbers, credit card information, social security numbers, and other sensitive data, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC advises those who may have been a victim of a phishing scam to report it to IdentityTheft.gov. This is particularly important when banking information and other sensitive data may have been compromised.

The FTC suggests four actions to prevent becoming a victim. Those preventive actions include using security software on your computer, setting your phone to automatically update, using multi-factor authentication for your online accounts, and regularly backing up your data.

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'The road ahead is arduous': Elon Musk cites 'dire' economic outlook in company-wide email, warns Twitter could die without subscription income



In his first company-wide email to Twitter employees, Elon Musk declared that the economic outlook appears "dire" and that absent subscription-based revenue, the company could go under during the economic slowdown.

"Sorry that this is my first email to the whole company, but there is no way to sugarcoat the message," Musk wrote in the email, according to Insider. "Frankly, the economic picture ahead is dire, especially for a company like ours that is so dependent on advertising in a challenging economic climate."

"Without significant subscription revenue, there is a good chance Twitter will not survive the upcoming economic downturn. We need roughly half of our revenue to be subscription," he noted. "The road ahead is arduous and will require intense work to succeed."

Musk, who recently acquired the social media platform, also noted that he is putting the kibosh on the company's remote work policy.

"We are also changing Twitter policy such that remote work is no longer allowed, unless you have a specific exception," he wrote. "Starting tomorrow (Thursday), everyone is required to be in the office for a minimum of 40 hours per week. Obviously, if you are physically unable to travel to an office or have a critical personal obligation, then your absence is understandable."

Twitter recently notified many workers that their roles are being cut from the company. The platform has started rolling out a $7.99 per month subscription that offers users a blue verification badge and other features. "My $8 investment into getting to witness liberal meltdowns has paid off. Best $8 I ever spent!" Libs of TikTok tweeted.

Earlier this week, Musk urged independent voters to back Republican congressional candidates during the midterms.

"To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic," Musk tweeted.

\u201cTo independent-minded voters:\n\nShared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1667834536