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The Trump administration’s Federal Trade Commission has removed four years worth of business guidance blogs as of Tuesday morning, including important consumer protection information related to artificial intelligence and the agency’s landmark privacy lawsuits under former chair Lina Khan against companies like Amazon and Microsoft. More than 300 blogs were removed.

Summary

Minnesota Republican state Sen. Justin Eichorn, who introduced a bill classifying "Trump Derangement Syndrome" as a mental illness, was arrested for allegedly soliciting sex from a minor.

Police say Eichorn believed he was meeting a 16-year-old girl but was actually texting undercover officers. His arrest came just a day after he and four other Republican senators introduced the controversial bill.

Eichorn, who is married with four children, was booked into jail and will be transferred to the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27020052

Bloomington police say state Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, was arrested around 6 p.m. Monday for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution. House and Senate Republican leaders called for Eichorn to step down.

The French government is reportedly planning to send a “survival manual” to every household in the country with instructions on how to prepare for an “imminent threat” including armed conflict, a health crisis or a natural disaster.

If approved by François Bayrou, the prime minister, the 20-page booklet will be sent to households before the summer, French media reported.

It will be divided into three parts with advice on how to protect “yourself and those around you”, what to do if a threat is imminent – with a list of emergency numbers, radio channels and a reminder to close doors and windows if the threat is nuclear – and details of how to get involved in defending your community, including signing up for reserve units or firefighting groups.

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Germany’s parliament has voted in favour of unleashing historic levels of spending to boost the military of Europe’s biggest economy and inject its infrastructure with investments worth hundreds of billions of euros.

Incoming conservative chancellor Friedrich Merz along with the Social Democrats (SPD), his likely coalition partners after last month’s election, led the drive for the creation of a €500bn fund and relaxation of its constitutionally protected debt rules. The parties secured the last-minute backing of the Greens, which was needed to push the plans through the outgoing parliament.

. . .

Merz told MPs the package was mainly motivated by “Putin’s war of aggression against Europe”, listing a range of suspected Russian sabotage “taking place every day” against Germany. He said these included attacks on critical infrastructure, arson attacks, spying and disinformation campaigns, as well as broader “attempts to divide and marginalise the European Union”.

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Summary

Europol reports that Russia and other state actors are using criminal networks to conduct sabotage, cyber-attacks, and migrant smuggling to destabilize the EU.

The agency’s 2025 threat assessment describes a “shadow alliance” where criminals act as proxies for state-backed hybrid threats. Recent attacks, including arson in Lithuania and Poland, have been linked to Russian intelligence.

Officials warn of ongoing security risks, including AI-driven cybercrime.

Europol says these tactics aim to weaken institutions through persistent disruptions rather than large-scale attacks.

Bloomington police say state Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, was arrested around 6 p.m. Monday for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution. House and Senate Republican leaders called for Eichorn to step down.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has removed the 2024 surgeon general’s advisory on gun violence from its website. A link to the Office of the Surgeon General’s publications on firearm violence displays a “Page Not Found” message.

An internal memo circulated at the Social Security Administration stated that the agency is considering adding another step to battle fraud that would force millions of customers to file for benefits in person at a field office instead of over the phone, according to The Washington Post.

The memo noted that the policy change would lead to significant disruptions to the agency’s operations and could lead to major difficulties for elderly and disabled people with restricted mobility. The Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, also revealed plans to close dozens of Social Security offices...

Currently the PM doesn't have a seat in the house. If he visited the house, he'd have to go to the visitor's gallery.

It's an interesting situation. The PM is the leader of the federal liberal party, but he's not a member of parliament. But, does he need to be? Is the PM sitting in the house of commons just a tradition that nobody has challenged yet? Could the PM delegate things inside the house of commons to their deputy-PM and then do things like give speeches, attend diplomatic functions, etc.?

The US has a very different system where the president isn't part of the legislative branch at all. But, typically presidents don't twiddle their thumbs waiting for something to do. Being the head of state keeps most presidents busy. It makes me wonder if technically Carney could choose not to run for office, and just spend his time doing head-of-state things rather than legislative things.