Oracle’s Larry Ellison sees AI supervision keeping citizens on ‘best behavior’
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison recently predicted that AI-powered surveillance will become an integral part of daily life. During a Q&A session at Oracle’s Financial Analyst Meeting, Ellison said AI would play a major role in monitoring society through a vast network of interconnected cameras. This system would include security cameras, police body cams and vehicle dashcams.
“Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on,” Ellison said, envisioning a future where AI analyzes real-time data from this network to prevent crime and influence public behavior for a safer society.
Ellison’s proposal, however, raises privacy concerns. Critics argue that widespread surveillance could infringe on personal freedoms, creating a “surveillance state.” Proponents, on the other hand, suggest that such systems could help solve crimes faster and provide transparency in law enforcement, particularly in cases of excessive force.
“We’re going to have supervision. Every police officer’s going to be supervised at all times,” Ellison said, emphasizing AI’s potential to oversee law enforcement activities.
Ellison’s vision highlights a growing trend among tech companies to use AI for societal influence, which could reshape public life in the coming years.
Senators ‘appalled’ by DHS ahead of report on Trump assassination attempt
Senators from both sides of the aisle shared thoughts on an upcoming report about the security failures that led to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. They met with acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe on Thursday, Sept. 12, for a closed-door briefing.
After leaving the meeting, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said, “I think the American people will be shocked, astonished and appalled by what we will report to them about the failures of the Secret Service in this assassination attempt of a former president.”
He added, “But I think they also ought to be appalled and astonished by the failure of the Department of Homeland Security to be more forthcoming, to be as candid and frank as it should be to them in terms of providing information.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said the lawmakers in attendance expressed “frustration” with Rowe at the briefing.
“There is a lot we don’t know yet, and I think there is some frustration that was voiced, I think, with Acting Director Rowe,” Johnson said. “He’s making the commitment to provide more information.”
Committee Ranking Member Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., added, “It’s going to identify very specific errors that were made in this.” He went on to say, “It’s still inexcusable that a guy for 90 minutes before a rally has a rangefinder and you don’t stop the proceeding.”
Law enforcement identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, as a “suspicious” attendee at the Trump event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, an hour and a half before he climbed on top of a building and took aim.
Crooks fired eight rounds, hitting Trump in the right ear, killing rally-attendee Corey Comperatore, and critically injuring David Dutch and James Copenhaver. A Secret Service counter-sniper shot and killed Crooks.
The lawmakers who attended the briefing Thursday said there had not been enough accountability within the Secret Service. They also stressed the investigation has been and the report will be entirely bipartisan. It’s expected to be released before Congress breaks for its pre-election recess at the end of September.
Francine weakens to tropical storm after making landfall as Category 2 hurricane
After making landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in Louisiana, Francine is on the move. We have the latest track. And the mother of the 14-year-old suspect in last week’s deadly school shooting in Georgia apologizes in an open letter to the victims’ families. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024.
Francine weakens to tropical storm after making landfall as Category 2 hurricane
Francine has weakened to a tropical storm, hours after it made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The storm is now trekking over Mississippi.
Power outages have left more than 350,000 Louisiana residents in the dark and flash flood warnings are still in effect in parts of the state, as the storm batters parts of Mississippi with 70mph winds.
In Louisiana’s Terrebonne Parish, the powerful storm brought down power lines, snapped trees, and caused flooding. Partial 911 outages were also reported in areas impacted by the storm. Wireless companies have said they’re working on the issue.
High winds and a potentially dangerous storm surge from a now weakened Francine are expected to also continue into Mississippi and Alabama Thursday, Sept. 12, with the potential for deadly tornadoes and flash flooding as well.
According to the National Weather Service, Francine is expected to continue to weaken over the next 24 hours, downgrading to a tropical cyclone by Friday, Sept. 13, as it moves across the south.
Mother of Georgia school shooting suspect apologizes to families in letter
One week after a school shooting in Georgia left two students and two teachers dead, the 14-year-old suspect’s mother has now come forward. She penned an open letter apologizing to victims’ families that was first obtained by CNN.
Marcee Gray is the mother of 14-year-old Colt Gray, who has been arrested and charged with murder in the Apalachee High School shooting. This week, we also learned she made a phone call to the school the morning of the shooting, just moments before the gunfire.
In her open letter, Marcee Gray said she is “sorry from the bottom of my heart” to the parents and families impacted. She also said if she could take the place of the two students who died she would “without a second thought.”
While offering her condolences, she also wrote that her son Colt is “not a monster. He is my oldest baby.” She asked the community for prayers while offering her own.
His mother’s letter comes after it was reported Colt sent her a text message the morning of the shooting, saying only three words: “I’m sorry, mom.”
Marcee Gray said she called the school to warn of “an extreme emergency” at 9:50 a.m. ET last Wednesday, Sept. 4, and asked school officials to go get her son. Thirty minutes later, police responded to reports of the school shooting.
Colt Gray’s father, Colin, has also been charged in connection with the deadly shooting. He faces two second-degree murder charges, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and eight counts of child cruelty. The next court hearing for Colt and Colin Gray is set for Dec. 4.
Trump, Biden, Harris come together for 9/11 memorial event
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump all marked 23 years since 9/11 together. Trump and Harris could be seen shaking hands ahead of the annual memorial ceremony at Ground Zero in New York on Wednesday, just hours after their first debate.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, was also in attendance.
After the Ground Zero ceremony, the candidates went their separate ways. Trump and Vance visited a New York City firehouse, and Biden and Harris went to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Trump also visited the memorial later in the day.
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, marked the somber anniversary at a 9/11 volunteer event in his home state.
Secret Service to increase security for Jan. 6 electoral vote counting
As Election Day nears, the Secret Service has announced there will be increased security during Congress’ counting and certification of electoral votes. The beefed-up security is a precaution after the riots at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.
The designation unlocks federal, state and local resources. The Secret Service will be leading the planning of the event.
The counting and certification of electoral votes will take place on Jan. 6, 2025.
67 million Americans watched Tuesday’s debate
More than 67 million Americans tuned in for the first debate between former President Trump and Vice President Harris Tuesday. That was more viewers than the 51 million who watched the debate between Trump and President Biden in June.
However, it’s still far fewer people compared to modern general election debates, like the one in 2016 between Hillary Clinton and Trump that drew in 84 million viewers.
Tuesday’s debate marked the first time Americans got to see Harris and Trump go head-to-head. It’s still up in the air if there will be a second debate between the two.
Campbell Soup Company changing its name after 155 years
Campbell’s soup has been a staple in American kitchens for more than a hundred years. Now, after 155 years in business, the company is changing its name — slightly.
Its dropping “soup” from their official title and re-branding as The Campbell’s Company. That’s because instead of just soup, the company owns other iconic American eats like Goldfish, Cape Cod, and Pepperidge Farm.
US wants Haitian migrants’ ‘whipping’ lawsuit against it thrown out
The U.S. government will hear about its motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought against it on behalf of Haitian migrants who said they were inhumanely treated by border agents at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021 at hearing on Thursday, Aug. 29. The lawsuit filed by the nonprofit Haitian Bridge Alliance alleges abuse by U.S. border agents on horseback and other mistreatment.
President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas are among the defendants in the case.
The suit claims that migrants saw “officers on horseback using reins as whips against people in the river” on Sept. 19, 2021. However, those accusations were refuted by a photographer who took pictures of the agents appearing to use their reigns as whips. The photographer said he did not witness any “whipping,” and a subsequent investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol “found no evidence that agents struck any person with horse reigns.”
The probe did find “failures on multiple levels of the agency, a lack of appropriate policies and training and dangerous behavior by several individual agents.” Four Border Patrol agents were disciplined as a result of the incident.
The suit also said that 15,000 Haitians who crossed the southern border were forced to live outdoors without proper food or conditions under an international bridge in Del Rio, Texas.
The plaintiffs argue Title 42, which stopped asylum-seekers from entering the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic was “unfair and unjust.” The Biden administration lifted Title 42 in May of 2023.
The U.S. federal government’s motion to dismiss was filed on June 10, 2023, and stated: “While all other suits regarding Title 42 order have long been dismissed as moot, plaintiffs seek to continue their litigation over these past events and policies.”
Director of the Justice Action Center Karen Tumlin, who helped with the lawsuit, called Biden’s policies other than Title 42 “anti-Haitian.”
“Anti-Haitian immigration policies such as the asylum ban, adopted by the Biden administration in 2023, and ongoing deportation flights back to danger continue to deter Haitian nationals from seeking asylum in the United States,” Tumlin said.
The lawsuit states that Haitian migrants’ constitutional rights to due process were violated and it seeks compensation for legal fees.
Smuggling ringleader arrested for Texas migrant death tragedy
Guatemalan authorities arrested seven individuals on Wednesday, Aug. 21, linked to a human smuggling operation that led to the deaths of 53 migrants in Texas in 2022. The migrants, including eight children, died of asphyxiation after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer under extreme heat.
The smuggling ring, known as “Los Orozcos” is accused of transporting hundreds of migrants and profiting millions over the years.
These arrests are part of Joint Task Force Alpha, a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Justice and Homeland Security aimed at dismantling human smuggling networks in Central America, particularly in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
Among those arrested is Rigoberto Román Miranda Orozco, who is believed to be the ringleader of the operation. His extradition has been requested by U.S. authorities. The arrests followed 13 raids across three Guatemalan departments, where authorities also seized vehicles, cash and rescued other migrants.
In June 2022, 65 migrants were packed into a tractor-trailer without air conditioning, enduring a three-hour journey from Laredo to San Antonio, Texas. When the trailer was opened, 48 migrants were found dead, and five more died later in hospitals.
U.S. officials revealed that Los Orozcos charged migrants up to $15,000 each for the perilous journey, often allowing multiple attempts to cross the U.S. border. The smuggling network operated across Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, using shared routes, stash houses and trailers.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri condemned the smugglers for prioritizing profit over human lives.
“This tragedy is a dire warning of the dangers that human smugglers cause by exposing migrants to life-threatening conditions for the smugglers’ financial gain,” she said, pledging continued efforts to dismantle such networks.
This enforcement action marks the latest effort in the joint U.S.-Guatemalan operation, which has resulted in multiple arrests aimed at bringing justice to the victims of the tragic 2022 smuggling event.
Inspector finds Customs and Border Protection failed to plan for CBP One app
A new report from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General (IG) found Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not properly plan to use the CBP One app for immigrant parole applications. The inspector general found CBP not only failed to make sure the app was ready but also neglected to implement improvements that could have better identified fraud.
In January 2023, CBP started allowing noncitizens to use the app to apply, submit biographic information and schedule appointments for President Biden’s immigrant parole program. Customs officers could use the information to vet the immigrants before they arrived and flag national security concerns.
The inspector general stated CBP “did not formally assess and mitigate the technological risks involved with expanding the application to allow undocumented noncitizens (noncitizens) to schedule appointments to present themselves for processing at Southwest Border Ports of Entry.”
First, CBP did not ensure the app’s “Genuine Presence functionality” was properly designed for the expansion. That is an anti-fraud security measure that requires applicants to submit a picture of themselves to ensure they are a real person. CBP also failed to implement adequate infrastructure for the app to support the increase in traffic. Both of those issues led to crashes and error messages.
CBP ran tests and discovered the app would slow down at 360,000 transactions per hour and experience major issues at 480,000 transactions per hour. At 9 a.m. the day the app was first introduced for applications, 450,000 users were already on it. That led to many users getting error messages. CBP increased the bandwidth in January and March to help solve the problem.
In addition, CBP did not provide proper language translations and “equity of appointment distribution,” which, according to the report, created language barriers and caused some applicants to not receive an equal opportunity to get an appointment.
The report also found that CBP failed to use the information submitted by immigrants to identify suspicious trends. For instance, the inspector general’s office discovered 208,996 noncitizens who used the same address as another applicant despite appearing to be unrelated.
But according to the report, CBP never communicated much of that data to ports of entry to consider for the applicant’s eligibility. In one example, 358 people used the same single-family home as their address.
“CBP does not have a mechanism to routinely analyze CBP One™ advance information for suspicious trends across the eight Southwest Border POEs as part of its pre-arrival vetting procedures,” the report said.
The inspector general’s office said it made three recommendations to fix these issues and CBP is currently working to get them done.
ICE can’t monitor all unaccompanied migrant children, inspector general says
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cannot always monitor the status and location of unaccompanied immigrant children (UCs) in the United States, according to a new inspector general report. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general described the issue as urgent and pointed out a number of problems that are contributing to these children being unaccounted for.
Under U.S. law, unaccompanied children are defined as immigrants in the country unlawfully who are under the age of 18 and have no parent or legal guardian in the U.S. to provide care and custody.
“ICE must take immediate action to ensure the safety of UCs residing in the United States,” the inspector general stated.
The report focused on children released from DHS and Health and Human Services (HHS) custody.
The findings were part of an ongoing audit that revealed ICE transferred 448,000 unaccompanied children to HHS custody from 2019 to 2023. Once they were released from HHS, 32,000 of them failed to appear at their immigration court hearing, and ICE never served a notice to appear in court to 291,000.
“Based on our audit work and according to ICE officials, UCs who do not appear for court are considered at higher risk for trafficking, exploitation or forced labor,” the inspector general added.
HHS is responsible for the care and custody of the children. The inspector general discovered ICE did not always inform the department of their failure to appear. In addition, the inspector general visited eight ICE field offices, only one of which said it attempted to locate the children after they didn’t show up in court.
The inspector general attributed this failure to a lack of an automated information sharing process between offices and ICE’s limited oversight for monitoring UCs. Currently, ICE has no formal policy or process for checking on children who fail to appear.
The inspector general made two recommendations. First, senior officials at ICE must find funding and implement an automated information sharing system. Secondly, ICE should implement a formal process to identify unaccompanied children who fail to appear and share that information both within ICE and with HHS.
The inspector general said ICE has already submitted a plan to implement the second recommendation, but the first recommendation was unresolved.
House Republicans investigating fraud in migrant parole program
The House Homeland Security Committee sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas seeking answers about reports of fraud in a migrant parole program. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) paused President Joe Biden’s migrant flights because sponsors were being improperly vetted.
The program allowed 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to come into the United States with the support of a financial sponsor. Those allowed in could live and work in the states for two years.
The organization Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, obtained an internal investigation that found U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services identified thousands of applications with fraudulent information.
The investigation found false Social Security numbers, phone numbers and addresses on the I-34A forms filled out by sponsors. Investigators found that sponsors used 100 addresses on 19,000 applications. Those addresses included warehouses and storage units.
DHS said there were no problems vetting migrants, just sponsors.
DHS told The Associated Press in a statement that the beneficiaries “are thoroughly screened and vetted prior to their arrival to the United States.” The department also said it would “restart application processing as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards.”
The Homeland Security Committee is continuing its inquiry into the matter and wants Mayorkas to hand over documents that could shed light on what went wrong.
The committee requested an unredacted copy of the Department of Homeland Security’s internal report that identifies patterns, trends and potential fraud indicators within the program. Additionally, members requested the associated data used to inform the report.
Committee members also said they want all documents and communications within the department and with external contractors regarding the report and the decision to pause the program.
Members want the information by Aug. 27. Since the program was fully introduced in January 2023, approximately 494,000 people have been let into the country.
Violent Venezuelan gang is here, now US law enforcement says it’s spreading
United States law enforcement is becoming increasingly concerned about the violent Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua (TDA). Members of TDA have established operations in major cities across the United States as reported on Sunday, Aug. 4.
Federal authorities believe that members of the gang are hiding among thousands of Venezuelans fleeing the regime of Nicolas Maduro amid ongoing unrest in the country.
Federal law enforcement warned the Denver Police Department about an enhanced threat from the criminal organization. The warning from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security came after the agency was tipped off that Tren de Aragua had given the “green light” for its members to attack Denver Police officers. The Denver Police Department said it is taking the warning seriously in regard to any interactions its members’ may have with the gang.
In July, the U.S. government designated Tren de Aragua as a “transnational criminal organization.” The designation frees up resources for law enforcement to stop the spread of the gang in the U.S. This makes it easier to freeze assets and restrict travel for suspected gang members.
The U.S. State and Justice Departments are also offering millions of dollars in combined rewards for information leading to the arrest of top TDA leaders.
As federal authorities look to take down the gang, the TDA’s threat appears to be growing. The Daily Mail exclusively reported that the gang has moved its headquarters from South America to the Mexican side of the U.S. southern border, which is near the outskirts of El Paso.
El Paso officials told the Daily Mail that they fear gang violence will spillover into the city as a result. Meanwhile, Rep. Tony Gonzalez, R-Texas, who represents El Paso, called Tren de Aragua the “epitome of evil.” According to the Daily Mail, border agents are on high alert and have been warned to check migrants for tattoos associated with TDA.
Tren de Aragua became infamous after taking over and then operating out of a South American prison. The criminal organization is linked to murders, sex trafficking, kidnappings and extortion.
DHS pauses migrant flights from Central America after fraud claims
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) paused President Joe Biden’s migrant flight program after a report found sponsors were being improperly vetted. The program allowed 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to come into the United States with the support of a financial sponsor. Those allowed in could live and work here for two years.
DHS announced application approvals are temporarily paused for a couple reasons.
The organization Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, obtained an internal investigation that found U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services identified thousands of applications with fraudulent information.
The investigation found false Social Security numbers, phone numbers and addresses on the I-34A forms filled out by sponsors. It was discovered that 100 addresses were used on 19,000 forms. Those addresses included warehouses, storage units and a mobile park home.
Investigators also found applications using the same exact answers to questions. One copied answer was used more than 10,000 times.
“Not only has the administration made a mockery of the law, DHS’s internal investigation proves that USCIS ignored blatant fraud and confirmed applications despite fictitious information,” FAIR President Dan Stein said in a statement.
DHS said there were no problems with vettingmigrants, just sponsors.
DHS told The Associated Press in a statement that the beneficiaries “are thoroughly screened and vetted prior to their arrival to the United States.” The department also said it would “restart application processing as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards.”
Since the program was fully introduced in January 2023, approximately 494,000 people have been let into the country.