By Roberto Zapatero For journalists, attorneys, whistleblowers, activists, and everyday people, smartphones basically hold the most personal parts of modern life. They contain conversations with family, confidential sources, financial records, photos, location history, and years of memories. A federal criminal case involving Atlanta activist Samuel Tunick now raises an important
PBS Jul 29, 2026 6:52 PM EDT By — Andrew Merlis TranscriptAudio Dr. Anthony Fauci helped lead the White House pandemic response for Presidents Trump and Biden and is now retired from government service. He appeared under congressional subpoena and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times during
Minnesota prosecutors have now charged two federal immigration agents over alleged conduct during Operation Metro Surge, marking a rare effort by state authorities to hold federal officers criminally accountable. The first case was filed on April 16, 2026, against ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. Hennepin County prosecutors charged Morgan
WHEN PRINCIPLE MEETS REALITY Every institution is built upon principles. Every institution is operated by human beings. Those two facts are not always in harmony. Laws, regulations, and ethical standards establish how organizations are expected to function. Human beings, however, bring with them judgment, bias, compassion, courage, fear, and imperfection.
Executive Summary Two immigrant deaths occurring within a single week have reignited concerns over transparency, accountability, and the treatment of individuals in federal immigration custody. Allegations that officials provided misleading accounts of the circumstances, attempted to pressure eyewitnesses into leaving the United States, and sought to prevent surveillance footage from
A Flock camera correctly recorded Chrisanna Elser’s truck in a Colorado town. Police treated that limited fact as proof of a package theft, forcing her to assemble video and GPS records to clear herself.
WASHINGTON — Internal draft contracts reviewed by WIRED indicate that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is proposing language that would prevent state and local laws from applying to certain immigration detention facilities while relying on less protective federal detention standards. If adopted, the proposal could reduce the role of
federal judge has ordered the release of a key eyewitness to a fatal ICE shooting, finding that the government failed to justify his continued immigration detention. The Justice Department has appealed that decision, leaving the witness's legal future uncertain
The Iran War Exposed a Larger Problem The United States can win battles faster than it can replace the weapons, aircraft capacity and trained personnel consumed by a prolonged conflict. The United States entered its war with Iran possessing the world’s most technologically advanced military. It did not enter
Hi ,Welcome to Is America Better Yet? Well, yeah, we have to talk today about what just happened, even though, honestly, this isn't how we planned to start this new site. Let me just state it clearly: this exact crisis is the entire reason why we are here
Tags: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tucker Carlson, Republican Party, America First, Non-Interventionism, Iran, War Powers, Jeffrey Epstein, Political Realignment Why are prominent voices within the America First movement breaking with the Republican Party? A growing public disagreement over foreign policy, government transparency, and party leadership has exposed one of the
Summary of Core Findings Municipal surveillance infrastructure expanded steadily through regional intelligence grants and routine traffic upgrades without explicit public debate or local voting oversight. Automated license plate readers and facial recognition programs operate under proprietary vendor contracts that restrict public auditing and obscure metadata retention practices. Surveillance deployments frequently
Summary of Core Findings Municipal surveillance infrastructure expanded steadily through regional intelligence grants and routine traffic upgrades without explicit public debate or local voting oversight. Automated license plate readers and facial recognition programs operate under proprietary vendor contracts that restrict public auditing and obscure metadata retention practices. Surveillance deployments frequently
Summary of Core Findings Municipal surveillance infrastructure expanded steadily through regional intelligence grants and routine traffic upgrades without explicit public debate or local voting oversight. Automated license plate readers and facial recognition programs operate under proprietary vendor contracts that restrict public auditing and obscure metadata retention practices. Surveillance deployments frequently
/H3 Part 4 - HOW DID SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY BECOME PERVASIVE IN EVERYDAY PUBLIC SPACES? Greetings. Welcome back! Today you and I will examine the modern surveillance apparatus together not as a single event, but as a series of small changes introduced over many years. Most Americans never witnessed a moment when
PART 5: How Do Federal Grants And Interagency Programs Accelerate The Rise Of National Surveillance? federal surveillance funding, DHS and DOJ grants, fusion centers, national security grid, interagency programs How Do Federal Grants From DHS And DOJ Fuel The Rapid Expansion Of Local Surveillance Networks? Um, looking at how local
PART 3: How Do Private Corporations And Municipal Police Departments Partner To Expand This Local Grid? private tech vendors, municipal policing, data sharing networks, procurement partnerships, public surveillance How Do Private Technology Companies Market Integrated Surveillance Hardware To Local Police Departments? Um, looking at how these corporate partnerships take shape,
PART 3: How Do Private Corporations And Municipal Police Departments Partner To Expand This Local Grid? private tech vendors, municipal policing, data sharing networks, procurement partnerships, public surveillance How Do Private Technology Companies Market Integrated Surveillance Hardware To Local Police Departments? Um, looking at how these corporate partnerships take shape,
PART 2: What Data Do Roadside Scanners Actually Collect And Store About Everyday Drivers? vehicle data collection, automated license plate readers, digital dossiers, location tracking, privacy risks What Details Beyond Simple License Plate Numbers Do Modern Roadside Scanners Actually Capture? Um, looking deeper into how these roadside systems operate, oh,
PART 2: What Data Do Roadside Scanners Actually Collect And Store About Everyday Drivers? vehicle data collection, automated license plate readers, digital dossiers, location tracking, privacy risks What Details Beyond Simple License Plate Numbers Do Modern Roadside Scanners Actually Capture? Um, looking deeper into how these roadside systems operate, oh,
PART 1: HOW Local ALPRs Bypassed Public Consent To Map American Streets automated license plate readers, ground-level tracking, local law enforcement, public surveillance, vehicle data collection How Did Automated License Plate Readers Quietly Shift From Local Crime Fighting To Mass Street Monitoring? Um, looking back at how this all
Military policy, humans are imperfect, UCMJ
This article examines the difference between the military's stated commitment to accountability, equal opportunity, and the rule of law and the lived experiences of some veterans who believe those standards were not consistently enforced in their own cases.
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Hi. I am Roberto. I am the longtime founder, author, and lead directing the team behind Is America Better Yet? The Is America Better Yet? Mission Our Promise to You Welcome to Is America Better Yet? We believe the American people are fully capable of making the best decisions for