“After reaching a proposed settlement last year, the FTC has banned General Motors from sharing specific consumer data with third parties, TechCrunch reported. The finalized order wraps up one of the more egregious cases of a corporation collecting its customers’ data and then using it against them. Two years ago, the New York Times released a report detailing how GM’s OnStar “Smart Driver” program collected and sold detailed geolocation and driving behavior data to third parties, including data brokers. Those brokers in turn sold the data to insurance providers, which jacked up the rates for some drivers based on the data. … According to the terms of the settlement, GM is barred from sharing specific user data with consumer reporting agencies for a five year period. The automaker is also required to request user permission before collecting, using or sharing vehicle data with any third party.” (01/15/26)
“Haitian security forces yesterday bombed three houses belonging to top gang leader Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier, local outlet Gazette Haiti reported on Wednesday, after unverified footage showed a large explosion in the capital Port-au-Prince. The footage shared earlier online showed a large explosion destroying at least one building and affecting nearby houses, with a large smoke cloud released into the air. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed, injured or arrested in the operation.” (01/15/26)
“A federal judge Thursday cleared the way for a New York offshore wind project to resume construction, a victory for the developer who said a Trump administration order to pause it would likely kill the project in a matter of days. District Judge Carl J. Nichols, an appointee of President Donald Trump, ruled construction on the Empire Wind project could go forward while he considers the merits of the government’s order to suspend the project. He faulted the government for not responding to key points in Empire Wind’s court filings, including the contention that the administration violated proper procedure. Norwegian company Equinor owns Empire Wind. Spokesperson David Schoetz said they welcome the court’s decision and will continue to work in collaboration with authorities. It’s the second developer to prevail in court against the administration this week.” (01/15/25)
“Wikipedia unveiled new business deals with a slew of artificial intelligence companies on Thursday as it marked its 25th anniversary. The online crowdsourced encyclopedia revealed that it has signed licensing deals with AI companies including Amazon, Meta Platforms, Perplexity, Microsoft and France’s Mistral AI. Wikipedia is one of the last bastions of the early internet, but that original vision of a free online space has been clouded by the dominance of Big Tech platforms and the rise of generative AI chatbots trained on content scraped from the web.” (01/16/25)
“Troops from several European countries, including France, Germany, Norway and Sweden, are arriving in Greenland to help boost the Arctic island’s security after talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. on Wednesday highlighted ‘fundamental disagreement’ between the Trump administration and European allies. ‘The first French military elements are already en route’ and ‘others will follow,’ French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday, as French authorities said about 15 French soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise. Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, its Defense Ministry said.” (01/15/26)
“Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Wednesday charged a Minneapolis man with more than $3 million in Medicaid fraud tied to a state-licensed home health agency. Mohamed Abdirashid Omarxeyd was charged with eight counts of felony theft by false representation after prosecutors said he used his company, Guardian Home Health Services, to bill Minnesota’s Medicaid program for services that were never provided or were ineligible for reimbursement from 2020 through 2024. According to the criminal complaint, Guardian submitted fraudulent claims for personal care aide services, companion care, homemaking, respite care, individualized home support and other community support services. State officials have designated many of these services as ‘high-risk’ for fraud. Prosecutors allege Omarxeyd and his wife siphoned more than $2 million from the company’s accounts during the scheme.” (01/15/25)
“An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation. SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station. … Officials have refused to identify the astronaut who developed the health problem last week or explain what happened, citing medical privacy. While the astronaut was stable in orbit, NASA wanted them back on Earth as soon as possible to receive proper care and diagnostic testing. The entry and splashdown required no special changes or accommodations, officials said, and the recovery ship had its usual allotment of medical experts on board.” (01/15/26)
“Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath will head the new technocratic committee set to administer the devastated Gaza Strip, mediating countries announced on Wednesday. A seasoned civil servant largely unknown to the wider public, Shaath was born in the southern city of Khan Younis in 1958, later leaving to study in Cairo, a family member told AFP news agency. He became a civil engineer, and previously served as the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority’s deputy minister of planning and international cooperation, as well as undersecretary for the ministry of transportation and communications, among other portfolios. … He told the broadcaster he had been contacted about the post by Bulgarian diplomat and politician Nickolay Mladenov. Under US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, Shaath’s committee would operate under the supervision of a so-called ‘Board of Peace,’ expected to be led on the ground by Mladenov and chaired by Trump himself.” (01/15/26)
“Scientists have uncovered the mummified remains of cheetahs from caves in northern Saudi Arabia. The remains range from 130 years old to over 1,800 years old. Researchers excavated seven mummies along with the bones of 54 other cheetahs from a site near the city of Arar. Mummification prevents decay by preserving dead bodies. Egypt’s mummies are the most well-known, but the process can also happen naturally in places like glacier ice, desert sands and bog sludge. The new large cat mummies have cloudy eyes and shriveled limbs, resembling dried-out husks. ‘It’s something that I’ve never seen before,’ said Joan Madurell-Malapeira with the University of Florence in Italy, who was not involved with the discovery. Researchers aren’t sure how exactly these new cats got mummified, but the caves’ dry conditions and stable temperature could have played a role, according to the new study published Thursday in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.” (01/15/25)
“California Democrats will likely be able to use their gerrymandered congressional map in next year’s midterm elections after a panel of federal judges on Wednesday upheld it. In a 2-1 ruling, the panel rejected a request to block the map from the California Republican Party and Donald Trump’s Justice Department, which sued the state after voters in November approved new boundaries, drawn in a bid to create five additional blue seats. Judge Josephine Staton, a Barack Obama appointee, wrote the ruling, with Judge Kenneth Lee, a Trump appointee, dissenting. Joe Biden appointed Judge Wesley Hsu joined Staton in her ruling. … Democratic leaders initiated the redistricting effort and special election this summer after Trump urged Texas to carve out five new red districts. … It seemed likely the judges would uphold the state’s map after the Supreme Court allowed Texas’[s] new congressional map to stand in a ruling that invoked California.” (01/14/26)
