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Summary

A federal judge blocked Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (DOGE) from accessing U.S. Treasury records containing sensitive financial data, following a lawsuit by 19 Democratic attorneys general.

The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration unlawfully granted access, potentially violating federal law and congressional authority over spending.

Critics fear Musk’s team could freeze federal payments.

The judge ordered any obtained data destroyed and set a hearing for February 14.

Separately, lawmakers and advocacy groups are pushing for further investigations and legal action.

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U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his promise to punish South Africa by signing an executive order Friday stopping all aid to the country over what he called a human rights violation against a white minority group.

The Trump administration says a land expropriation law South Africa recently passed was “blatantly” discriminatory against its white Afrikaners, who are descendants of Dutch and other European colonials. The Trump administration said the South African government was allowing violent attacks against Afrikaner farming communities.

It also accused South Africa of supporting “bad actors” in the world, including the militant Palestinian group Hamas, Russia and Iran.

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Every morning, Nick Voyles jumps in his car and hustles to a methadone clinic in a nearby strip mall. As he walks up to the glass partition that separates him from the nurse—and his daily dose of America’s most regulated drug—his mind starts racing: What if this takes forever and I’m late for work? What if I can’t pee while I’m being watched? “I’m scared the entire time,” he says. “I’m called to the window and I’m just waiting to see what will happen.”

For Voyles, the executive director of the Indiana Recovery Alliance, a harm-reduction organization based in Bloomington, methadone has been a lifesaver and a stabilizer. “I bought a house. I married the woman I love,” Voyles told me on a rainy day as we sat on mismatched couches in the group’s office. “I raised a child. I’ve got a career.”

Despite well-established benefits—it reduces overdose deaths by as much as 59 percent—and low risks, methadone is the only prescription drug that doctors cannot call into a pharmacy and is solely available through segregated clinics. Unless they’re granted the “privilege” of take-home doses, people have to travel to the clinic every day or risk going into withdrawal. In the 30 years Voyles has been on methadone, he’s missed many Christmases with his family in Texas. Since he couldn’t get take-homes, he wasn’t at his mother’s bedside when she was diagnosed with cancer. He’s driven to clinics an hour away and shown up two minutes after dosing hours have ended to be turned away at the door.

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Summary

A report by Adalytics found that ad networks run by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft inadvertently funded ImgBB, a website hosting child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Ads from Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government appeared alongside illegal content, exposing flaws in digital ad systems.

Critics warn that weak oversight enables bad actors, while lawmakers struggle to respond.

Unlike finance and legal sectors, digital advertising lacks regulatory safeguards like Know Your Customer laws.

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cross-posted from: https://infosec.pub/post/23398982

Apple has reportedly been ordered by the UK government to create a backdoor that would give security officials access to users’ encrypted iCloud backups. If implemented, British security services would have access to the backups of any user worldwide, not just Brits, and Apple would not be permitted to alert users that their encryption was […]

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Summary

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed laws allocating $50 million to fight Trump administration policies, including $25 million for legal battles and $25 million to defend immigrants facing deportation.

The move follows past legal clashes, as California sued Trump over 120 times during his first term.

Republicans call the funding a political stunt, arguing it diverts resources from wildfire recovery.

Newsom insists the funds will protect civil rights but clarified they won’t defend immigrants convicted of serious felonies.

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According to a New York Times report, on Thursday, the U.S. government’s General Services Administration (GSA) removed the spoon emoji as an option that users of its videoconferencing platform can select to express themselves.

The move comes a day after workers embraced the digital cutlery to protest the Trump administration’s “Fork in the Road” resignation offer.

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Summary

Donald Trump mocked Time magazine after its latest cover depicted Elon Musk sitting behind the Resolute Desk, questioning if the magazine was “still in business.”

While pretending indifference, the cover likely irritated him, as he was ecstatic just months ago when Time named him 2024 Person of the Year.

Speaking at the White House, Trump tried to dismiss the cover’s implications and praised Musk for uncovering “fraud and corruption.”

Despite his criticism, Trump has long craved Time’s approval, even displaying a fake cover of himself.

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Summary

Elon Musk called for the firing of Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Long after she exposed racist tweets from Marko Elez, a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee who later resigned.

Long’s report revealed Elez had posted remarks promoting racism and eugenics.

“Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool,” Elez posted in July, according to the Journal’s review of archived posts.

Musk, who claims to support free speech, labeled Long “disgusting and cruel” and demanded that she should be fired.

Critics noted the hypocrisy of Musk advocating for a journalist’s removal over accurate reporting on a public official’s misconduct.

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Summary

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to place 2,200 USAID employees on administrative leave as part of efforts to shut down the agency.

The American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees argued the move was unconstitutional and harmful to global humanitarian efforts.

Judge Carl Nichols issued a limited restraining order but has not yet ruled on 500 workers already on leave.

DOJ defended the decision, citing alleged corruption and fraud at USAID.

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Summary

Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old member of Elon Musk’s DOGE team, was previously fired from Path Network for leaking proprietary information.

Online messages reveal he boasted of retaining access to Path’s systems and sought hacking tools. Investigators have tracked his activity in cybercrime forums, including links to denial-of-service attacks.

His DOGE role involves gathering government data, raising security concerns. Senator Ron Wyden criticized DOGE’s access to sensitive systems.

The Trump administration has not disclosed vetting procedures, despite growing scrutiny over DOGE hires and security clearances.

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