dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Anonymous ID: 186a56 July 12, 2025, 9:08 p.m. No.23318180 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8188 >>8208 >>8216 >>8302 >>8462

Senate releases report on Trump assassination attempt re: failure of Secret Service

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVxtwpOLa48

Spain awards Huawei contracts to manage intelligence agency wiretaps

The Spanish government is using Huawei to manage and store judicially authorized wiretaps in the country used by both law enforcement and intelligence services, despite concerns about how the Chinese government could compel Huawei to assist Beijing with its own intelligence activities.

The Ministry of the Interior officially awarded Huawei a €12.3 million ($14.3 million) contract following a standard public procurement process, as first reported by Spanish digital newspaper The Objective. Huawei had already been contracted to provide technical support to SITEL (Sistema Integrado de Interceptación Legal de las Telecomunicaciones), Spain’s integrated system for intercepting telecommunications.

While the contract for storing wiretaps requires Huawei to comply with cybersecurity guidelines set by the Spain’s National Cryptologic Center, according to The Objective there is “growing unrest” in the National Police and Guardia Civil over the Chinese company’s involvement with sensitive systems.

Concerns about Huawei have seen the company restricted from 5G networks across the European Union, as well as varying levels of bans in networks of NATO allies such as the United States and United Kingdom.

The Objective reported that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been among the EU’s most supportive leaders regarding Huawei, and has pushed back against the bloc’s efforts to restrict it from 5G networks. Huawei has opened research facilities in Madrid and is a major employer as a technology contractor for a number of public administrations.

Natasha Buckley, a researcher at RUSI and lecturer in cybersecurity at Cranfield University, told Recorded Future News that Spain’s approach to the company stood in stark contrast to that of other NATO allies and many EU member states.

“Spain’s stance on high-risk technology vendors places greater emphasis on supply chain reliability than on geopolitical considerations, setting it apart from more restrictive approaches seen in countries like the UK, the Netherlands and Poland.

“While the EU’s 5G Cybersecurity Toolbox recommends limiting or excluding high-risk Chinese suppliers like Huawei, Spain’s implementation has been uneven. Huawei is restricted from some public 5G projects, yet its servers have been approved to store sensitive police wiretap data. The result is a case-by-case approach that falls short of a clearly defined policy towards high-risk vendors,” Buckley said.

Despite concerns about its links to the Chinese Communist Party and exposure to Beijing’s intelligence apparatus, Huawei itself has stressed that no backdoor has ever been found in its telecommunications equipment. A spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment regarding its involvement in Spain’s wiretap system.

Beijing has accused the West of falsely claiming that Chinese equipment poses a security risk, alleging that the restrictions are actually a protectionist economic measure.

Western concerns regarding the risk posed by Chinese equipment vendors are often expressed in the context of Beijing’s offensive cyber espionage activities and China’s National Intelligence Law of 2017, which allows the state to “compel anyone in China to do anything,” as summarized by Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre.

https://therecord.media/spain-awards-contracts-huawei-intelligence-agency-wiretaps

Trump says he will hit E.U. and Mexico with 30% tariff

President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened a significant tariff hike on the European Union and Mexico, two of the largest U.S. trade partners.

In separate letters published on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote that each country will face a blanket tariff rate of 30% on all goods exported to the U.S. starting Aug. 1.

Trump threatened even higher tariffs if either the E.U. or Mexico retaliate against his new levy.

Writing to Mexico's president, Trump also focused on border security, saying that "Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough."

"Mexico still has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to turn all of North America into a Narco-Trafficking Playground," he added.

Trump has spent the past week bringing his trade war back to a roaring boil. He kicked it off by issuing dozens of letters announcing unilateral tariffs, then said he planned to impose 50% duties on copper goods, sending prices of the raw metal to all-time highs. Late Thursday, he announced he would apply a blanket tariff of up to 20% on all imports, as well as a 35% tariff on some, and perhaps all, Canadian imports starting next month.

The letters come as the many trade deals that Trump administration officials had said would be signed have failed to materialize, leaving Trump with little to show for weeks of negotiations.

While Mexico was spared from Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" tariff rollout on April 2, the 30% rate for the E.U. is 10% higher than what the president said he would apply to America's largest trading partner in April but lower than his mid-May threat of 50%.

The 27-member European Union is the United States’ largest trading partner — its $605 billion worth of imports into the U.S. surpassing Mexico, Canada and even China. The most valuable category was drugs and pharmaceuticals, followed by autos and aircraft and other heavy machinery. Trump has already threatened to impose a 200% tariff on any drugs imported into the U.S., though it would not be applied for at least 18 months.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded to Trump's letter, saying in a statement that "few economies in the world match the European Union's level of openness and adherence to fair trading practices."

But von der Leyen said she "will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests," including retaliatory tariffs "if required."

Mexico meanwhile is another one of the United States' most important trading partners, with more than $505 billion worth of goods imported by American consumers and companies in 2024.

Mexico made up 69% of U.S. vegetable imports and 51% of U.S. fresh fruit imports in recent years, according to U.S. Agriculture Department data. With short shelf lives, produce could see price hikes faster than other goods.

Markets had spent most of the week brushing off the earlier escalations, leaving stocks largely at the record highs they’d regained thanks largely to recent weeks’ trade-war lull. Trump himself touted the gains in an exclusive interview with NBC News.

But on Friday, major indexes closed lower on the heels of Trump vowing to hit Brazil, a key source of commodities like coffee and orange juice, with a 50% tariff. Trump said the tariff was so high because of "unsustainable Trade Deficits" even though the U.S. currently runs at a surplus in its trade with Brazil.

Trump also said "the way Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro … is an international disgrace."

In the case of the E.U., the bloc currently has more than $100 billion of retaliatory tariffs on standby that can be quickly implemented. Some of those retaliatory duties target goods made in Republican-represented states, such as soybeans from House Speaker Mike Johnson’s home state of Louisiana and bourbon from Kentucky, which is represented in the House and Senate by a nearly all-Republican delegation.

Other retaliatory tariffs could target Boeing planes and U.S.-built vehicles.

Analysts say the new tariff onslaught adds further risk to an inflation outlook that has already been teetering on edge.

“Higher tariffs going into effect in August also could mean that inflationary effects come through later this year or even into next year, extending the timeline on higher inflation,” analysts with Citi wrote in a note to clients published Friday.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the E.U., has been furiously negotiating toward an “agreement in principle” in order to avoid the outcome of getting hit with one of Trump’s tariff letters.

Speaking on Wednesday before the European Parliament, the E.U.’s top trade official, Maroš Šefčovič, said negotiations were happening “every single day” between the two sides. “Crucially, while other nations faced increased tariffs from United States, the result of the letters that President Trump sent out on Monday, our negotiations have spared the E.U. from facing higher tariffs.”

However, Šefčovič noted that the U.S. had “differing perspectives” about the international trading relationship.

In the hour leading up to Trump’s announcement, an E.U. official said that while the bloc was “fully locked and loaded to conclude an agreement in principle,” it didn’t “have any update to indicate that that is going to happen imminently.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-says-will-hit-eu-mexico-30-tariff-rcna218415

>>23318211

State Department lays off over 1,300 employees under Trump administration plan

More than 1,300 staffers at the U.S. State Department were laid off in a major restructuring plan spearheaded by the Trump administration. The move impacted both civil servants and foreign service officers, many of whom lost system access immediately after receiving notice. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the goal was to streamline operations by cutting non-essential and overlapping roles.

https://wtop.com/government/2025/07/state-department-is-laying-off-over-1300-staffers-under-trump-administration-plan/

Nigeria: Kidnapped priest who served in Alaska still held captive by Muslims in his own country

A Nigerian priest who previously served in Alaska remains missing after being captured by Boko Haram operatives in his homeland, OSV News has learned.

Father Alphonsus Afina, assigned to several parishes across Alaska from September 2017 through 2024, was abducted June 1 along with an unspecified number of fellow travelers while in Nigeria's Borno state, near the northeastern town of Gwoza.

Bishop John Bogma Bakeni of Maiduguri, Nigeria, told The Associated Press June 8 that the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram was responsible for the kidnapping.

The bishop said he had spoken briefly with Father Afina the day after the abduction, and described him as "sounding OK" and "in good spirits" despite exhaustion.

OSV News has contacted the Diocese of Maiduguri, where Father Afina was ordained in 2010, for an update and is awaiting a response.

Aid to the Church in Need confirmed in a July 5 message to OSV News that "Father Alphonsus is still kidnapped."

The agency, which supports the persecuted church throughout the world, noted that it was in contact with the local church to determine the best way to secure Father Afina's return, without "unnecessary delays" or any "indirectly increased ransom's amount."

The Pontifical Mission Societies of Nigeria told OSV News in a July 4 email that the diocese "has not released any update" about the kidnapping of Father Afina.

"The Diocese has asked the priests and laity of the diocese to say a Novena to our Lady of perpetual help for his release. Since then we have been praying for his release. We pray God will touch the heart of his abductors to release him."

Father Robert Fath, vicar general and vocation director of the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, told OSV News in a July 1 email that there was, "unfortunately, no new information" about the priest's wellbeing or whereabouts.

"Please continue to pray," said Father Fath in his email.

Bishop Bakeni told AP that Father Afina had been traveling from the city of Mubi, his current pastoral assignment, to Maiduguri for a workshop. At a military checkpoint, his convoy was ambushed by armed men, with a rocket-propelled grenade striking one of the vehicles, killing one and wounding others.

The bishop said it was not clear if Father Afina was the intended target of the attack.

In June, Bishop Steven J. Maekawa of Fairbanks called for prayer, following a June 3 Mass celebrated for Father Afina at Sacred Heart Cathedral, which drew some 200 in person as well as online participants.

Writing in a June 5 letter to faithful, Bishop Maekawa reiterated his homily from that liturgy, referencing the Gospel account of the paralyzed man carried by friends through the roof of a house to obtain healing from Christ (Mk 2:1-12).

"We are a powerful people," said the bishop. "Much like the men who make a hole in the roof to lower their friend through it to bring him to Jesus, we are able to bring those in need to our Lord Jesus with our prayers. Without the Lord we can do nothing. Great things can be accomplished by appealing to the love of God."

Bishop Maekawa said Father Afina and all held captive "need as many people as possible praying for them and for their captors."

A recent report from Fides Agency—the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies—found that since 2015, 145 priests were abducted in Nigeria, with 11 killed and 4 still missing as of March.

https://www.catholicregister.org/item/2480-kidnapped-nigeria-priest-who-served-in-alaska-still-held-captive-sources-say

Anonymous ID: 186a56 July 12, 2025, 9:22 p.m. No.23318239 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>8268

Well, WIRED its credibility. They said the Epstein jail video was 'likely' leaked due to metadata analysis then never provided any metadata analysis.

Impostor pretending to be a gov official plots scheme 'about a project related to Melania Trump'

Someone using an outdated cellphone number belonging to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas) contacted at least one current and one former member of Congress seeking help with a purported project related to first lady Melania Trump.

The impostor contacted Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri) and disgraced New York GOP congressman George Santos via the popular messaging app Telegram and directed them to install a special “Phoner App” so more information could be shared with them about the alleged project, according to both Burlison and Santos.

“There is a Project I am working on with Melania Trump. I recommend to make you the coordinator,” the phony Crawford wrote to Santos in messages shared with The Washington Post.

While Burlinson did not follow the instructions, Santos did — though he contends the interaction ended before his information was compromised. The communications happened days before Santos is scheduled to head to prison to serve a seven-year sentence for “aggravated identity theft,” among other charges.

“I’m dealing with my own issues with the law, and now I have to be a victim of this garbage,” a frustrated Santos told The Washington Post.

The incident, which occurred in June, is part of a growing trend of scams — some of them driven by artificial intelligence — targeting government officials and their staff through impersonation schemes. U.S. authorities are currently investigating a separate impersonation campaign from June that used AI technology to send voice and text messages purporting to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Separately, Crawford’s office confirmed that multiple individuals had been contacted via voice memo by someone using what appeared to be AI-generated imitations of Crawford’s voice. He reported the claims to the FBI, which did not respond to requests for comment.

“Over the last few months, we have seen this happen to several high-ranking Administration officials,” Crawford said in a statement to The Post. “It is very easy for anyone to fall victim to these nefarious efforts. I strongly encourage all Americans to stay informed on the threat and take proactive action to protect themselves by reviewing the public service information provided by the FBI on AI-powered impersonations.”

Members of Congress increasingly rely on Telegram, Signal and other text messaging apps to communicate with one another and the broader political ecosystem. But recent scams have prompted warnings. In a July 2 memo to senior congressional staff, the House Chief Administrative Office’s cybersecurity department advised staff to be “vigilant” of ongoing “smishing” and “vishing” campaigns targeting senior government officials.

“Unidentified malicious actors are sending text messages and AI-generated voice messages — criminal techniques known as “smishing” and “vishing” — that claim to come from senior executive branch officials, to establish rapport before attempting to scam an individual into providing their personal information,” the letter said.

Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley who specializes in digital forensics, said government communication habits need to change.

“Because we do so much of our interactions over devices now — whether that’s a phone call, text messaging, video calls — we’ve come to generally trust that when you’re talking to somebody and it sounds like them and it looks like that them, it is them. But in the age of AI that is no longer true, and we have to adapt to that. This is a new reality.”

Burlison told The Post that while he had downloaded Telegram, he does not actively use the app but opened it after receiving phone calls from it. He was also a target of a previously reported yet ongoing scheme that includes fake audio messages from President Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The recordings, Burlison said, “didn’t sound natural.”

Santos was ousted from Congress in 2023 as punishment for an array of alleged crimes and ethical lapses related to fabrications of his biography. He was convicted in April of identity theft for executing a “fraudulent scheme to steal the personal identity and financial information of contributors to his campaign. He then repeatedly charged contributors’ credit cards without their authorization,” according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern district of New York. He is expected to report to prison on July 25.

The messages from the faux Crawford show that Santos, too, could fall victim to identity theft. After the impostor contacted him about the phony Melania Trump project, Santos replied: “Hi Rick, I’d love to learn more. Can I ring you back in 1 hr I’m at a Dr appointment.”

Santos called the number he assumed to be Crawford’s, but it was disconnected, he told The Post. Neither he nor Burlison spoke with the impostor, whose identity is unknown.

Santos agreed to install the “Phoner App” and get a virtual Washington number. Santos instead ended up with a “347” area code — which services New York City — and followed the impostor’s instructions to create a PIN, which he shared with the person pretending to be Crawford.

After Santos realized he was speaking to an impostor he alerted another member of Congress, according to the messages.

“Dude” he wrote, “I just got spoofed by Rick Crawfords old number,” he wrote.

https://archive.is/zqVQa#selection-621.0-701.77

USC hires Kamala Harris’ husband as law professor despite past controversies

Doug Emhoff, husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris, has been appointed as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the USC Gould School of Law, his alma mater. He earned his JD there in 1990 and will begin teaching on July 1. Emhoff previously taught entertainment law at Georgetown University during Harris’s vice presidency and has remained active in mentoring law students.

His hiring comes amid scrutiny over his continued association with Willkie Farr & Gallagher, a law firm that recently struck a controversial deal with the Trump administration to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services. Emhoff publicly opposed the agreement but chose to remain at the firm, citing his colleagues’ values and ongoing community work.

In his statement, Emhoff emphasized the importance of defending fundamental rights and speaking out for the vulnerable, especially during what he called a “difficult moment for the legal community.” His appointment also coincides with speculation that Kamala Harris may run for California governor in 2026.

https://www.campusreform.org/article/usc-hires-kamala-harris-husband-law-professor-despite-past-controversies/28149