ICE Arrests More Than 120 Illegal Immigrants At Memphis Nightclub

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,

Federal immigration officers arrested 121 illegal immigrants on Aug. 30 at a Memphis nightclub during a targeted multiagency enforcement action, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.

New Orleans field office for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led Operation Corral Light at the El Corralon nightclub, in which officers executed federal and state warrants, DHS said in a statement on Sept. 1.

The DHS said that those taken into custody included people with criminal histories involving larceny, drug possession, domestic violence, driving while intoxicated, assault, child endangerment, and prostitution.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin tied the arrests to broader efforts to fight crime in the Tennessee city.

"Thanks to President Trump's leadership, crime in the city of Memphis has plummeted. A big part of that success comes from arresting and deporting illegal aliens in the city," Mullin said.

"Through Operation Corral Light, ICE arrested more than 120 illegal aliens in a single day, including child abusers, drug traffickers, and violent assailants."

Scott Ladwig, acting field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in New Orleans, described the effort as a priority.

"This criminal enforcement operation to arrest illegal aliens and eliminate drug activity in our community is part of the highest priorities of this administration," Ladwig said.

"Our officers remain committed to enforcing the law professionally, protecting the public, and upholding the trust placed in us by the American people."

Among those arrested were Ricardo N. Rodriguez Arteaga, a Honduran national with a conviction for larceny and an arrest for commercial sex involving homosexual prostitution. Sergio Vieyra Torres, from Mexico, faced prior arrests for child endangerment and driving under the influence of liquor. Maryari Pamela Lopez Urivina, also from Honduras, had an arrest for aggravated assault. Jeronima Giron Cisneros, another Honduran, was arrested for domestic violence. Miguel Galeas Rodriguez, from Honduras, had a conviction for cocaine possession.

The operation fits into ongoing federal work in Memphis, where the Memphis Safe Task Force, established after a presidential memorandum in September 2025, has tackled the city's high violent crime rates.

FBI data for 2024 showed Memphis with the highest per-capita violent crime rate among all major U.S. cities. The task force had reached 10,000 arrests by June, with more than 1,700 illegal firearms recovered. The group's responsibilities include immigration enforcement alongside other public-safety measures.

The city had a violent crime rate roughly six times the national average in 2024.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 21:45

MIT Student Claims To Make One Of The World’s Deadliest Chemicals, Sparking HAZMAT Response

A potentially dangerous laboratory incident at MIT triggered a hazmat response last week after a graduate student told medical personnel he believed he had created dimethylmercury, a highly toxic mercury compound, according to the NY Post.

The student, who has not been publicly identified, went to a local emergency room and reported the possible synthesis. That claim was serious enough to prompt MIT to close Building 18, part of its chemistry complex, while emergency crews and university officials assessed the situation.

MIT later said the student was not authorized to work with dimethylmercury and that the substance was unrelated to his approved research.

As a precaution, the university also took steps outside the laboratory. Shared spaces in the student’s residence hall were professionally cleaned, while the student’s own room was sealed during the investigation.

The NY Post writes that by Saturday, however, the situation had become less clear. MIT said new information had raised doubts about whether dimethylmercury had actually been produced. The university also said the student’s first blood test showed no evidence of mercury exposure, although the student remained under medical observation.

Testing and investigative work continued through the weekend, with Building 18 remaining closed through Sunday.

Dimethylmercury is considered an exceptionally hazardous substance because even a very small exposure can be deadly. The chemical is perhaps best known for the 1997 death of Dartmouth chemistry professor Karen Wetterhahn, who was exposed when a tiny amount reached her hand despite the gloves she was wearing.

The compound has also surfaced in at least one criminal case. It was reportedly used in the 2012 killing of a German labor union official.

MIT has not yet said definitively whether the student succeeded in making the chemical, leaving the central question of the incident unresolved even after the emergency response and cleanup.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 21:20

Trump's New Foundry School Aims To Train America's Manufacturing Workers Of The Future

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,

The Trump administration will launch Foundry School on Thursday, a national training program meant to prepare entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians, and industrial leaders for a rebuilding of U.S. manufacturing.

Vice President JD Vance is set to headline the event, according to a State Department press release. Foundry School falls under Pax Silica, the department's multilateral effort to lock down trusted supply chains for technologies expected to shape the coming decades.

Officials say President Donald Trump's reindustrialization push has already drawn trillions of dollars in investment to American soil. Foundry School's focus will be to convert that capital into actual employment.

American manufacturers will need an estimated 3.8 million skilled workers by 2033 across semiconductors, defense, energy, and related fields, according to the press release. The program is designed to put American workers first by giving them the skills to bring those jobs home and build careers in sectors tied to economic security.

The launch starts at 8:20 a.m. at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington. Senior administration officials, university leaders, and industry executives are scheduled to speak.

Foundry School was first announced as a Pax Silica project by Under Secretary Jacob Helberg at the Pax Summit on June 25. It is structured as a workforce partnership with Stanford University, which developed the core advanced manufacturing curriculum for American students.

Keystone lectures will come from seven other universities that collaborated with Stanford. They are Arizona State University, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Penn State, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Kansas, and Vanderbilt.

Across the eight campuses, the program will run 17 sessions. Founders and CEOs from advanced manufacturing firms will teach. Those leaders will come from the United States and from Pax Silica partner countries such as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and India.

The sessions are meant to cover everything required to build and run a top-tier manufacturing operation. Officials describe it as a single course aimed at making sure the American workforce shares in the industrial expansion.

"The entire Trump economic agenda is about making it easier to do business in America, to create jobs in America, to hire American workers, and to build your factories here in America, not in China, or any other country," Trump said in April 2025.

Studies have shown a skills shortage in the United States. A 2024 Deloitte study estimated 3.8 million new manufacturing positions would open by 2033, with only about half likely to be filled without major training efforts.

The jobs of the future in the modern manufacturing sector are expected to include highly technical and specialized roles, such as in robotics, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing. Experts say that the young generation of workers lack the skills to perform these tasks.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 20:55

Take-Two Slides Into Correction As Grand Theft Auto Leak Investigation Intensifies

Take-Two Interactive, whose Rockstar Games studio is developing Grand Theft Auto VI, was hit by a series of leaks last month ahead of the fall release. Bank of America analysts described the leaked footage as "impressive, but unlikely to surprise," while TTWO shares have tumbled into a correction since the leaks surfaced online.

The leaked clips reportedly expose plot details, character scenes, and gameplay mechanics, prompting Rockstar Games to call the leaks "gut-wrenching" and warn that some of the game's surprises may have been spoiled.

According to the Dutch news publication TorrentFreak, TTWO has intensified its search for the person who leaked GTA VI, asking a federal court to seal its latest demand for Discord user data, as the company describes its investigation as "rapidly evolving."

The new filing came Friday, one day after Rockstar Games streamed an extended GTA 6 preview on Netflix and months before the blockbuster title's planned November 19 release.

In mid-August, an account named "Cyberleek" began circulating the leaks. TTWO responded with takedown notices and a series of Digital Millennium Copyright Act subpoenas targeting Discord, Microsoft, X, and YouTube.

Unlike a conventional lawsuit, a DMCA subpoena allows a copyright holder to seek identifying information from an online platform before suing the alleged infringer.

In the new subpoena, filed Friday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, TTWO said its "investigation of the infringement at issue is rapidly evolving and ongoing," adding, "Take-Two has identified one additional Discord user and obtained additional identifying information for a previously identified Discord user, as well as additional information concerning the community servers identified in its prior subpoena for which it now seeks more targeted information."

On Monday, the SDNY granted the subpoena request. Last month, Take-Two requested four subpoenas seeking information from Discord, Microsoft, Google, and X as the GTA VI leaks went viral on social media.

TorrentFreak pointed out that TTWO withdrew its YouTube request after facing pushback from a judge.

US technology publication PCMag reported that the leaker, CyberLeek, "has gone silent after posting what appears to be the prologue to GTA 6."

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 20:30

OpenAI Hits Back At Apple In Trade Secrets Lawsuit

Authored by Bill Pan via The Epoch Times,

OpenAI has pushed back against Apple's accusations that it stole the iPhone maker's hardware secrets, blaming the dispute on Apple's own handling of departing employees.

In a court filing on Monday, OpenAI asked a federal judge to deny Apple's request for a preliminary injunction, which would bar the ChatGPT maker and two former Apple employees from accessing, using, or disclosing alleged trade secrets while the case proceeds.

"This dispute is a mess of Apple's own making, and it is trying to blame everyone else," OpenAI said in the filing.

Apple sued OpenAI in July in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The company accused OpenAI and former Apple employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu of misusing confidential information related to hardware design, manufacturing, and supply-chain operations.

Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple and previously served as vice president of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, is now OpenAI's chief hardware officer.

Liu, a former senior systems electrical engineer at Apple, now serves on OpenAI's technical staff.

In its complaint, Apple alleged that Tan used confidential project code names during interviews. It also claimed he asked at least one candidate to bring "actual parts" they had worked on at Apple for a "show and tell" session.

Apple further alleged that Liu continued to access company files after leaving by exploiting what it described as a "rare, previously unknown authentication bug."

OpenAI has denied those allegations.

In Tan's case, OpenAI said he returned Apple prototypes before leaving and kept only nonconfidential material.

It also said any components brought to interviews were either old or publicly available and were used only as "demonstration aids."

OpenAI also defended Liu, saying any Apple files he accessed after leaving were retrieved at the request of former colleagues.

According to OpenAI, those employees contacted him for help locating documents or answering questions about his previous work.

The Epoch Times has requested comment from Apple regarding OpenAI's latest filing.

Apple Cites New Evidence

Earlier on Monday, Apple submitted what it described as new evidence against Liu as it sought expedited discovery in the case.

Apple alleged that Liu accessed Apple's confidential "power-converter circuit" schematic while working at OpenAI, and that he used proprietary Apple information to train an AI agent in March.

Apple said the evidence emerged from a MacBook that OpenAI provided to the company on Aug. 21 as part of the legal proceedings. Much of the underlying evidence remains redacted from public view.

"The MacBook represents the very limited information Defendants provided so far (and only after weeks of delay), and shows Apple is not conducting 'fishing expeditions' but that its trade secrets are being used and evidence is being destroyed," the filing states.

OpenAI, however, said the episode only shows Apple's own shortcomings when it comes to offboarding.

According to OpenAI, Apple encourages employees to use personal iCloud accounts for work, making it more difficult to separate personal and company files when they leave.

The company also argued that Apple's practice of immediately escorting some departing employees from its offices can leave little time to return devices, transfer files, or hand over responsibilities.

"Apple blames employees who left the company for taking their personal accounts with them - even though Apple encouraged them to use personal accounts for work," OpenAI said.

The competing filings mark the latest escalation in a lawsuit that could provide an unusual look inside the two tech giants.

As the case moves deeper into the discovery phase, both sides could be required to disclose more details about how they recruit talent, develop hardware, and control who has access to what level of secrets.

From AI Partners to Hardware Rivals

There have been days when Apple and OpenAI enjoyed a less contentious relationship.

The two announced a partnership in June 2024 that brought ChatGPT into Apple products, allowing Siri and other Apple Intelligence features to tap into OpenAI's chatbot for some requests.

But OpenAI has since expanded aggressively into consumer hardware.

In May 2025, OpenAI acquired io Products, a hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive.

The deal, valued at $6.5 billion, brought Ive and his team into a close partnership with OpenAI as the company sought to develop a new generation of AI-powered devices.

Tan left Apple before joining io and later became OpenAI's chief hardware officer. Apple's lawsuit does not name Ive individually as a defendant.

Apple, meanwhile, has broadened its own AI partnerships.

In January, the company struck a multiyear deal to use Google's Gemini models as the foundation for future Apple Intelligence features, including its revamped Siri.

The legal fight erupted in July, when Apple accused OpenAI of using former Apple employees to obtain confidential information that could help it develop competing consumer hardware.

Apple has also alleged that OpenAI approached some of Apple's business partners using confidential information.

OpenAI has denied wrongdoing and portrayed the lawsuit as Apple's attempt to slow a potential competitor and discourage employees from leaving.

It said in Monday's filing that roughly 400 former Apple employees have joined its hardware efforts.

The ChatGPT maker argued that California law allows workers to move freely between competing companies, and that Apple cannot characterize ordinary employee departures as unlawful just because they join a rival.

"Apple cannot stop the next 400 employees from leaving by filing baseless lawsuits," OpenAI said.

"They can leave a company like Apple that has struggled to adopt AI and move to an exciting startup that builds innovative products," it continued.

"Apple may not like those choices. But it cannot claim those choices are unlawful."

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 20:05

Russia Accused Of Helping Iran Develop Carrier-Killing Supersonic Cruise Missiles

Yet another major allegation against Russia has emerged this week in the pages of the London-based Financial Times, which says that Moscow has been helping Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles, in a clandestine program that has been ongoing throughout the war with the US and Israel.

Early in the conflict, it was widely reported that advanced and ultra-fast weapons were used against Israel, which might help explain why the small Mediterranean country suffered so much damage.

The FT cited as part of its journalistic investigation internal Russian evidence it has uncovered including correspondence, travel records and military patents.

The secretive program is being described as "one of the most significant known transfers of strategic military technology from Moscow to Tehran."

At the center of the new reporting is Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, overseeing a project codenamed "C430L" - and also involving the US-sanctioned NPO Mashinostroyenia, a rocket design company.

Officials from both entities reportedly started frequently traveling to Iran in 2023, with the program having continued into June 2026 - though it's unclear whether the war with the United States has paused or halted it.

The missile reportedly under development would fly at multiple times the speed of sound, and could be an 'aircraft killer'. It should be noted there are entire Reddit threads focused on questions like: Is there any realistic way for a carrier to destroy a super-sonic “carrier killer” cruise missile?

Jim Lamson, a former CIA military analyst focused on Iran, issued a statement to FT explaining, "For the Iranians, this would give them a qualitatively new strategic weapon system that could threaten US Navy vessels."

Another interesting insight is from Fabian Hinz, a senior analyst with Conflict Armament Research. "This is the transfer of a highly strategically sensitive military technology from Russia that the Iranians have wanted to acquire for decades," he told the FT.

"A program like this would require political clearance from the very top in Russia," he added.

There of course remains the looming question of whether this is all propaganda, designed to put even more Western pressure on so-called 'rogue' actors Moscow and Tehran. It could be, but sharing such technology would also be consistent with recent defense and economic pacts the two sides have inked. This part has been no secret. They are also already deeply involved in drone transfers.

Bessent on Iran:

Iran gets some supplies from Russia, but if we shut down the Iranian airlines, which we will, then much less coming in.

They don't really get direct financial support from Russia. pic.twitter.com/yFssQLF71Y

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 2, 2026

Already Russia witnessed a many years-long push to topple the Assad government in Syria, leading to a broad Russian troop withdrawal from the Levant, and certainly the Kremlin doesn't want to see US-imposed regime change in Tehran as well.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 19:40

Dallas Police To Shut Down Hundreds Of Flock Cameras

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

The police department in Dallas has announced it will shut down hundreds of Flock cameras due to a funding pause, making it another U.S. city to remove the controversial camera system.

Two Flock Safety cameras in a neighborhood in Jessup, Md., on Aug. 26, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

The department said in a social media post on Sept. 1 that it received a notice that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive ending funding for Flock camera use.

Flock cameras are artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, automated license plate reader systems that capture vehicle details and license plates, with more than 120,000 cameras found throughout the United States. They have drawn online controversy over concerns regarding data privacy, surveillance overreach, and their potential misuse.

"These cameras remain an important investigative tool and are used daily by detectives and officers to develop leads, identify vehicles associated with criminal activity, and assist in solving crimes," the Dallas Police Department said on X.

It added that it will "continue evaluating available resources and technology to ensure our officers and detectives have effective tools to support investigations and enhance public safety."

Dallas Police officials said that 321 Flock cameras supported by grant funding will no longer be eligible, meaning they will be canceled effective Sept. 15. After the move, the department "will continue to have more than 300 Flock cameras operating throughout Dallas," according to its X post.

Last week, Abbott's office ordered all state agencies to pause funding to Flock camera systems, his spokesperson confirmed to the Texas Tribune.

"To the extent that cities get any funding for those cameras, most of it comes from the federal government. To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras," Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris told the outlet.

Aside from Texas, Florida said on Monday that it would stop allowing Flock cameras on state highways. Meanwhile, two Arizona cities, Tempe and Cave Creek, said days before that they were canceling their Flock contracts.

Will Watts, chief operating officer of the Florida Department of Transportation, sent a memo on Aug. 31 stating that the state agency would revoke approvals for license plate readers, including Flock cameras.

Watts noted there was a "recent exponential increase" in deployments of law enforcement cameras and "concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes" associated with those systems, according to the one-page memo.

Regarding the decision in Tempe, a Flock spokesperson told The Epoch Times in a statement last week that the company respects "the City's decision, even though Tempe has acknowledged that Flock helped officers do their jobs and found no improper use by its own police department."

"Flock has built the most accountable tool in police technology, and our technology gives communities control over how their systems are used, including the ability to adopt shorter data retention periods, strong access and auditing policies, and safeguards specifically designed to catch potential misuse," the spokesperson added.

More than 100 jurisdictions have canceled contracts with Flock and other automated license plate reader providers, according to a database from the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit law firm that says it aims to end government abuse of power.

The Epoch Times contacted Flock Safety for further comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 19:15

US Mint Starts Selling $1 Trump Coins

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Mint has started selling a $1 coin bearing President Donald Trump's image to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

A new $1 coin features President Donald Trump's image. Treasury Department/AP Graphic

The U.S. Mint stated in an X post on Sept. 2 that the Trump coins would be available for purchase starting at 12 p.m. ET on Sept. 2.

"These coins are also in circulation, so check your pocket change. Collect them today," the agency said in an X post.

On one side is an image of Trump with the text, "LIBERTY," "1776-2026," and "IN GOD WE TRUST." The other side has a seal with the writing, "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "250," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM," which is Latin for "out of many, one."

The U.S. Mint website initially had a message saying, "due to extraordinarily high traffic, we are using a virtual waiting room" with an estimated waiting time listed. It took an Epoch Times reporter more than 20 minutes to access the website initially, but the waiting time declined to two minutes later in the day.

A 25-coin roll is listed at $61, and a 100-coin bag, "currently unavailable" on Wednesday, costs $154.40.

"Whether you collect modern dollars, commemorative issues, or milestone coinage, the Semi-Quincentennial $1 coin represents an important chapter in United States numismatic history," the Mint's website said. "Own a piece of American history."

The coins are composed of 5 percent zinc, 3.5 percent manganese, 2 percent nickel, and the rest is copper, according to the web page.

Last October, Treasury officials announced plans to include Trump's image on a $1 coin.

The new coin is intended "to honor the enduring legacy of liberty and a lasting symbol of patriotism," wrote Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a post on X earlier this year. "Featuring President Trump, it celebrates the strength of American values, and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all."

The Treasury Department also announced in March that it would be putting Trump's signature on all new U.S. paper currency.

"Printing his signature on the American currency is not only appropriate, but also well deserved," said U.S. Treasurer Brandon Breach in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Treasury stopped producing pennies for general circulation last November after 230 years of coinage. Officials said that it costs around 4 cents to manufacture a single penny and that stopping production would save taxpayer dollars.

Although new pennies won't be made anymore, the Federal Reserve will continue to recirculate about 114 billion pennies for as long as possible, the Treasury said on its website.

"How long existing pennies remain in circulation depends largely on consumer behavior," the department stated last December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 18:25

Brazil's Socialist President Sees Lead Evaporating, New Poll Shows

Brazilian socialist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's lead over right-wing Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro continues to narrow, according to new polling data released early Wednesday. The latest polling extends the trend we highlighted last week, showing that the narrowing margin between the two candidates has transformed October’s presidential election a coin toss.

Lula (Left); Bolsonaro (Right)

According to a Quaest poll commissioned by TV Globo, Lula leads Bolsonaro 42% to 41% in a potential runoff. The one-point gap is within the survey’s two-point margin of error and marks a decline from Lula’s three-point advantage in the previous poll released in mid-August.

Quaest, 2º turno: Lula, 42%; Flávio Bolsonaro, 41% https://t.co/CVLptTwmiq #g1 pic.twitter.com/oSBLd27Big

— g1 (@g1) September 2, 2026

Pesquisa Quaest divulgada hoje vs 2022 mesma janela temporal

Lula vs Bolsonaro 1º e 2º turno

No 2º turno diferença que era de 12 pontos em 2022 é de apenas 1 ponto em 2026 pic.twitter.com/MfyMW2Ifos

— Pedro Albuquerque F (@albuquerque_af) September 2, 2026

A separate BTG Pactual/Nexus poll published at the start of the week also placed Lula ahead by only one point. An AtlasIntel survey conducted for Bloomberg showed the president leading by 4.5 points, although that advantage narrowed slightly from July.

The shrinking gap comes as federal authorities investigate allegations of corruption and influence peddling involving Lula’s son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha. The probe focuses on cannabis programs linked to Brazil’s Health Ministry.

Lulinha has denied wrongdoing. Lula has not been implicated and has said he will not shield his son from investigators, although he believes Lulinha is innocent.

AtlasIntel’s findings show that the corruption probe has inflicted political damage on the socialist president, threatening to turn the election into a coin toss.

Last Friday, Alexandre de Ázara, a managing director and chief economist for Brazil at UBS, told clients that “the gap is closing” in Brazil’s presidential race as Bolsonaro pulls within striking distance of President Lula.

Polymarket odds show that Bolsonaro is closing in on Lula.

A Flávio Bolsonaro win in October would not start a right turn in South America. It would effectively close it.

By mid-2026, South America had already flipped. Argentina (Milei), Chile (Kast), Colombia (de la Espriella), Peru (Keiko Fujimori), Ecuador (Noboa), Bolivia (Paz), and Paraguay (Peña) sit on the right.

The remaining large left-wing governments are Brazil and Uruguay. Brazil accounts for about half of South America’s GDP and population. If Brazil goes right, the region would be entirely aligned with the Trump administration and would be on track to rid itself of nation-killing socialism and other failed progressive experiments.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 18:00

Another ActBlue Official Pleads Fifth In House Probe of Alleged Foreign Donations

Authored by AG News Staff via American Greatness,

Another senior figure at Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue invoked the Fifth Amendment during congressional testimony Tuesday as House Republicans investigate allegations of fraudulent and foreign political donations.

Kimberly Peeler-Allen, a member of ActBlue's board of directors, invoked her constitutional right against self-incrimination while appearing before the House Administration, Judiciary and Oversight committees, according to sources familiar with her testimony.

Kimberly Peeler-Allen, pictured second from the left, attending the 35th Annual Celebrating Women® Breakfast at New York Marriott Marquis Hotel on May 11, 2022, in New York City. Peeler-Allen pleaded the Fifth Amendment on Sept. 1, 2026, during a probe into Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, for which she is a member of the board of directors. (Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The New York Women's Foundation)

Her decision follows similar moves by other ActBlue officials.

ActBlue co-founder Matt DeBergalis invoked the Fifth during a closed-door deposition Aug. 20, while CEO Regina Wallace-Jones asserted the same right during congressional questioning in June.

The House Administration Committee began investigating ActBlue in 2023 following concerns that the fundraising platform's fraud-prevention procedures were inadequate to prevent illegal foreign donations.

Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., has focused in part on ActBlue's previous practice of not requiring donors to provide credit card CVV security codes.

"We have an entity here with ActBlue, that has raised roughly $20 billion since its creation," Steil told Fox News.

"We want to make sure that they have the fraud prevention protocols in place to make sure that foreign funds are not coming into U.S. elections."

Steil acknowledged that witnesses have a constitutional right to invoke the Fifth Amendment but said their refusal to answer questions has frustrated lawmakers seeking information about ActBlue's operations.

The investigation intensified after The New York Times reported in April that ActBlue's attorneys had warned internally that Wallace-Jones may have provided Congress with a misleading description of the organization's procedures for detecting foreign donations.

Wallace-Jones had described ActBlue's screening system as "multilayered." According to the Times, however, the organization's attorneys warned that ActBlue did not always follow the procedures she described, creating what they characterized as "a substantial risk for ActBlue."

Republicans have denied accusations that the investigation is politically motivated, arguing that foreign money entering American elections would present a serious threat regardless of which party benefits.

ActBlue has denied wrongdoing and has previously said it maintains safeguards against fraudulent and foreign contributions.

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 17:40

Apple Maps Changes Name Of Lake Ontario To Lake America

Update (1700ET): President Trump has voiced his approval of this change as "complete, ratified, and binding"...

As Kimberly Hayek detailed earlier for The Epoch Times, Apple has changed the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on the web version of its Apple Maps service, following an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump that renamed the body of water located on the U.S. - Canada border.

The update appeared Sept. 1 for users in the United States. It came days after Alphabet's Google Maps made a similar switch for U.S. users late Aug. 29.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Aug. 31 that Trump had contacted Apple directly about the change.

"I know that the president reached out to Apple directly," Burgum said on Fox Business. "So I'm sure that we may be seeing that change coming up soon to Lake America."

Apple updated Apple Maps so that people in the United States now see the Great Lake labeled Lake America, after the U.S. Geographic Names Information System recorded the new official name.

Users in Canada still see Lake Ontario. Everyone else sees both names. Apple used the same country-based labeling after the Gulf of Mexico was renamed the Gulf of America.

Trump signed the executive order on Aug. 27, directing the Interior Department to update the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. The move came amid collapsed trade talks with Canada and new tariffs on both sides.

"Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very sadly," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after signing the order. "Even the military ... You know, we defend Canada for nothing. We don't get anything."

He added that Canada doesn't "pay for anything" but wants to be treated like a state, though "it's not a state."

The lake, one of the five Great Lakes, sits halfway along the border of New York state and Canada's province of Ontario. Its name dates to the 1640s, long before either nation formed, and inspired the province's name in 1867.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the renaming the same day Trump signed the order.

The lake's historic name is Lake Ontario and will remain the same "then, now and always," Carney said in a statement. He noted it comes from the Wendat word "Ontari'io," meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big."

"The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America," Carney said. "We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford holds a similar view. He unveiled a lakeside sign in Winona, Ontario, reading "Lake Ontario, Now and Always" in English and French.

"President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you, the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario," Ford told reporters.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also declined to adopt the new name on state maps.

"New York won't be calling it that," she posted on X.

Google explained its update in a weekend statement, saying it follows official government sources such as the Geographic Names Information System. U.S. users now see "Lake America." Canadian users continue to see "Lake Ontario." Users elsewhere see both, it also explained.

Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment when the request was first reported. The company previously updated Apple Maps for the Gulf of America after Trump's 2025 order renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

MapQuest, a free online mapping service owned by California-based System1, an AI-powered customer-acquisition company, has refused the change. "We're not changing it," the company posted to X. It surged to the top download on the U.S. Apple App Store charts upon its announcement.

Some Ontario government websites briefly displayed "Lake America" after Google's update because they pulled map data from the service. Hydro One, Metrolinx, Infrastructure Ontario, and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario sites showed the new label.

Officials corrected them quickly. Ontario minister of public and business service delivery and procurement Stephen Crawford said the province was reviewing all sites "to make sure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario."

The trade talks between the countries collapsed on Aug. 21. The United States imposed 50 percent tariffs on nearly $20 billion of Canadian goods. Canada announced matching retaliatory tariffs set to take effect Sept. 8. Trump also announced plans for 50 percent tariffs on Canadian vehicles and auto parts beginning in 2027.

Burgum ordered the Interior Department to implement the name change for the lake on Aug. 27 and posted, "Make the Great Lakes Great Again!"

Tyler Durden Wed, 09/02/2026 - 17:00