US warns about foreign efforts to sway American voters
U.S. officials say Russia is working to amplify doubts about the integrity of American elections while China is interested in influencing policy perspectives in favor of Beijing. That concern aligns with unclassified intelligence advisory obtained by The Associated Press that says China is probably seeking to influence select races to “hinder candidates perceived to be particularly adversarial to Beijing.” Officials say they’ve not identified any credible threats to election infrastructure, but the intelligence warning comes amid the peak of a midterm campaign in which a rising number of candidates and voters openly express a lack of confidence in the nation’s democratic processes.
Kim Kardashian fined $1 million by SEC over crypto promotion
The long list of celebrities promoting cryptocurrencies just got shorter. Kim Kardashian is being barred from doing so for three years — and will pay a $1 million fine — to settle federal charges that she recommended a crypto security to her 330 million Instagram followers without making clear that she was paid to do so. The reality TV star also must give up the $250,000 she was paid for the Instagram post about Ethereum Max tokens, plus interest. That’s according to a Securities and Exchange Commission settlement announced Monday. Kardashian is the latest celebrity to get ensnared in regulations that require full disclosure by people getting paid to promote financial products.
Biden says Puerto Rico will get ‘every single dollar promised’ for recovery
President Joe Biden traveled to Puerto Rico on Monday, promising $60 million in hurricane relief funds and “every bit of help” from the federal government to help the storm-battered territory rebuild faster than in the past. “We’re going to make sure you get every single dollar promised,” Biden said. Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady, visited Ponce, a city on Puerto Rico’s southern coast that was hit by Hurricane Fiona two weeks earlier — five years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The Bidens will also survey storm damage this week in Fort Myers, Florida, from Hurricane Ian.
CDC ends country-by-country COVID travel advisories
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer maintain a list of COVID-19 travel advisories for foreign countries, the agency said Monday, another sign of the gradual shift toward pre-pandemic normalcy even as about 1,400 people around the world are dying each day from the virus. The agency would instead issue travel health notices only for “a concerning COVID-19 variant” or other situation that would change travel recommendations for a particular country, as it does with other diseases like monkeypox, polio and yellow fever. Fewer countries are testing or reporting COVID-19 cases, limiting the agency’s ability to assess the risk level for travelers accurately.
Supreme Court takes up challenge to social media platforms’ shield
The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether social media platforms may be sued despite a law that shields the companies from legal responsibility for what users post on their sites. The case, brought by the family of a woman killed in a terrorist attack, argues that YouTube’s algorithm recommended videos inciting violence. The case, Gonzalez v. Google, No. 21-1333, concerns Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 law intended to nurture what was then a strange and nascent thing called the internet. Legal experts said the court’s decision to explore whether the immunity conferred by the law has limits could have vast significance.
Indonesia says officers suspected of wrongdoing will face charges
Indonesia announced Monday that it would set up a commission to investigate the deaths of at least 125 people at a soccer stadium over the weekend, adding that it hoped to identify the police officers suspected of having had a role in the tragedy within days. As public anger mounted, Mahfud MD, chief security minister, said that officers suspected of committing acts of wrongful violence while on duty at the stadium would face criminal charges. The disaster, which unfolded Saturday in Malang, has prompted widespread accusations that police actions contributed to turning minor unrest into one of the deadliest stadium catastrophes in history.
Ukraine claws back more territory Russia is trying to absorb
Ukrainian forces have scored more gains in their counteroffensive across a broad front. The troops advanced Monday in the very areas Russia is trying to absorb. Their breakthroughs challenged Russia’s effort to engage fresh troops and its threats to defend incorporated areas by all means, including with nuclear weapons. Ukrainian forces penetrated Moscow’s defenses in the strategic southern Kherson region, one of the four areas Russia is annexing. Ukraine’s advances have become so apparent that even Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman admitted the gains. He cited Ukraine’s numerically superior tank units. Also Monday, Russia released from detention the head of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Officials: US to send Ukraine more advanced rocket systems
The U.S. will soon deliver four more advanced rocket systems to Ukraine, under a new $625 million package of aid expected to be announced Tuesday. That’s according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of the package ahead of the announcement. The decision marks the first time the U.S. has sent more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to Ukraine since late July, and it will bring the total number delivered so far to 20. The systems have become a key tool in Ukraine’s ability to strike bridges that Russia has used to supply its troops, enabling Ukrainian forces to make inroads in Russia-controlled regions.
By wire sources