“Hackers who stole a record $6.3bn (£4.7bn) from Binance used fake job interviews and a compromised internal AI tool, the firm has revealed. Initial findings published by the company, which operates the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said hackers gained access to its systems through a ‘sophisticated, multi-stage campaign’. It said they used a range of techniques such as malicious software downloads to compromise the computers of Binance engineers and gain control over tools to drain its wallet of billions of dollars worth of crypto. Binance called it ‘a serious and highly sophisticated security incident’ and apologised, saying ‘this should not have happened’. In a post on X, Binance said hackers targeted its engineers using social engineering techniques. These see hackers use approaches such as phishing to trick people into parting with sensitive or personal details, that can then be used to try and access their accounts.” (11/03/26)
“Belize has declared a state of emergency in 19 areas after a series of deadly shootings, giving police expanded powers to detain suspected gang members as the government considers studying El Salvador’s anti-gang strategy. The emergency took effect Sunday in parts of Belize City, Ladyville, Cotton Tree and Unitedville, according to Breaking Belize News. … National Security Minister Michel Chebat said Belizean officials plan to visit El Salvador to examine President Nayib Bukele’s approach to fighting gangs, according to Breaking Belize News.” (11/02/26)
After a “zero-dollar day,” our annual fundraiser total remains stuck (as of 5am) at $1,093.50.
We’re $1,658 short of our goal — and I’m as tired of hectoring you about money as you are of hearing it. Once we’ve hit the target, I get to shut up about money entirely for the rest of 2026 and mostly for the first nine months of 2027. Have a great day — but first,
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
“The US carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, an American official said late Monday on the eve of crucial midterm elections, which US President Donald Trump has signaled could mark the start of resumed war with Iran. The strikes, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, appeared to be limited and were not a resumption of major combat operations, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Another official said the strikes were defensive measures against Iranians ‘using surface-to-air missiles against US assets.'” (11/03/26)
“The Supreme Court on Monday quickly rejected the Trump administration’s effort to force California officials to set aside 20,000 ballots it claims belong to likely noncitizens and must be investigated. The court’s one-sentence order contained no explanation and had no noted dissents. California and immigration rights groups question the veracity of the administration’s list and say its lawsuit is an attempt to disenfranchise legal voters. The administration raced its claims to the Supreme Court earlier on Monday after California persuaded lower courts that the administration has no legal right to push the state to comply. The administration warned that the clock was running out. All sides agree that ballots can’t be separated once they’re processed, and election officials have already received hundreds of thousands of mail ballots ahead of polls opening on Tuesday.” (11/02/26)
“Russian forces have bombed an aid centre in Ukraine, killing at least 29 people, according to Ukrainian officials, as the United States announced plans for new peace talks on November 10 and 11. The aid centre, at a school in the village of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region, had been closed to students because the village sits too close to the front line, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday. Instead, it served as a shelter and as a weekly distribution point for aid packages, which residents who remain in the village collected every Monday. … Hours after the attack, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that delegations from Ukraine and Russia would meet in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on November 10 and 11.” (11/02/26)
“The New York Times sued Brave, the 11-year-old, privacy-focused browser company, on Monday, alleging it scraped the outlet’s copyrighted content and unlawfully distributed it to customers the suit names as Anthropic, Perplexity, Mistral, xAI, and Cohere. Separately on Monday, the Daily News, the Chicago Tribune, and the Orlando Sentinel filed a similar lawsuit. Both were brought in federal court in Manhattan. The New York Times, which has also sued OpenAI and Perplexity over similar claims, likens Brave to a ‘supplier, dealer, and distributor of stolen [sic] copyrighted content’ for AI companies.” (11/02/26)
“Friday’s late-night confrontation at Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, which drew riot police and protesters and prompted President Karol Nawrocki to turn his plane around and return to Warsaw, has reignited a bitter debate over whether Prime Minister Donald Tusk is restoring the rule of law or overstepping constitutional limits. The dispute erupted after the tribunal announced the suspension of its president, Bogdan Święczkowski, a move that supporters of Tusk’s government described as necessary to restore judicial independence, while critics denounced it as an unconstitutional power grab. Marcin Przydacz, the head of the International Policy Bureau in Nawrocki’s office, took to European TV Monday morning denouncing Tusk’s actions, saying, ‘Even lawyers who are close to the Tusk government say that there’s absolutely no legal basis for such behavior.’ The dispute is also triggering diplomatic fallout, with at least three Polish ambassadors resigning in protest.” (11/02/26)
“Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of Aden, the main stronghold and temporary capital of the country’s internationally recognised government, four military sources told Reuters on Monday. The advance brings the Houthis closer to Aden than at any point since the early months of the war in 2015, when they briefly entered the city before being driven out. The latest offensive has opened a volatile new front in the wider US-Israeli war on Iran, drawing both the Houthis and Saudi Arabia deeper into the regional conflict.” (11/02/26)
“Emails sent by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the IRS that praised President Trump may violate the Hatch Act, experts say. ‘Under President Donald J. Trump, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is transforming into a model of excellence, one that meets and exceeds customer expectations for fast, accurate and secure service,’ Frank Bisignano, SSA commissioner and IRS chief executive, wrote in one of the emails, according to The New York Times. The praise of the president just days before Tuesday’s midterms could be a violation of the 1939 law that restricts certain political activities by federal employees.” (11/02/26)
