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Before purchasing a new refrigerator, consumers can look for the Energy Star label to understand how efficiently it uses energy. Before purchasing food at the grocery store, consumers can look for the USDA Organic label to understand how it was produced. But before purchasing an internet-connected camera, baby monitor or door lock that we put in some of our most private spaces, consumers have no comparably simple way to know whether that device was designed to keep hackers out.

The Federal Communications Commission is working to change that with the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark program.

This voluntary cybersecurity labeling program is intended to make security easier to understand by helping consumers quickly identify internet-connected products that meet established cybersecurity requirements. Some of these requirements include making sure the product protects consumer data, limits access to authorized users and securely updates software. Qualifying devices will also provide consumers with clear information about manufacturer support so that consumers do not need to become cybersecurity experts to protect themselves.

WHAT A SMART FIREWALL DOES AND WHY IT MATTERS ON HOME WI-FI

Products that meet the Cyber Trust Mark requirements will ultimately display a label with a distinctive shield that quickly lets Americans know the connected product they’re bringing into their homes meets certain baseline cybersecurity requirements. The shield will be accompanied by a QR code that consumers can scan to find accessible and up-to-date information about the product’s security. A buyer can learn, for example, how to change a factory-set password, where to find security updates and how long the manufacturer has committed to supporting the product.

The FCC is working to roll out the Cyber Trust Mark program to a retailer near you by next year.

FBI SAYS RUSSIAN HACKERS HIJACKED OLD WI-FI ROUTERS

The commission’s efforts have taken on new urgency as cyberattacks increase and American homes become more connected. On average, there are approximately 20 to 25 connected devices in a typical U.S. household, and close to 1 million Internet-of-Things-related cyberattacks per day.

To meet the commission’s 2027 implementation timeline, the ioXt Alliance, an organization with extensive security experience, was selected earlier this year as the lead administrator to manage the daily operations of the program. And in the coming months, the FCC will seek public comment on the design and use of the label, technical standards and testing procedures to determine product eligibility, and post-market surveillance rules to preserve the integrity of the Cyber Trust Mark label throughout the life of a qualifying product.

APPLE WANTS TO MOVE INTO YOUR HOME. SHOULD YOU LET IT?

As the FCC moves forward on each of these program elements, we welcome feedback from manufacturers, retailers, cybersecurity researchers, consumer advocates and other interested parties to make sure we get the details right. Because in addition to giving consumers more tools to protect themselves, our goal is to maximize participation in this program among product manufacturers.

Manufacturers that participate will have a visible way of demonstrating their commitment to security. They will also distinguish themselves from competitors that lack this certification and give retailers and online marketplaces the opportunity to highlight the trusted products they sell. And before long, this will create economic incentives for others to build security into their products at the design stage and not bolted on only after a vulnerability has been discovered.

CHINA-LINKED HACKERS INFILTRATED US GOVERNMENT NETWORKS BEFORE FBI TAKEDOWN

These, among other benefits, can be expected from the Cyber Trust Mark program, but consumers should be aware that no label can promise that a product will never be hacked. This is why the Cyber Trust Mark program represents just one part of the FCC’s broader commitment to strengthening cybersecurity.

Other commission-led initiatives include removing untrustworthy equipment from U.S. communications networks, improving the integrity of our equipment authorization process and increasing transparency into the foreign ownership and control of entities operating critical communications systems across the country.

Each line of effort addresses a different point of vulnerability. Secure networks require equipment from trusted sources. Resilient infrastructure requires responsible operators. And connected homes require products designed with cybersecurity in mind.

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To be clear, the Cyber Trust Mark program is not intended to put the burden of cybersecurity squarely on consumers. It is a practical tool for consumers to protect themselves while continuing to implement strong passwords, multifactor authentication and security upgrades. And manufacturers are still expected to adopt reasonable cybersecurity practices whether or not they participate in the program. This is merely a way to keep consumers informed while rewarding companies that invest in security and raising expectations across the connected-device marketplace.

The bottom line is that the promise of the smart home should not come at the expense of the secure home. And by next year, the Cyber Trust Mark will help make security a standard feature of a connected home – not an afterthought.

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Sitting on a couch, they were a perfect couple making light of serious allegations.

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota sat alongside her BPF (best political friend), the far-left streamer Hasan Piker, in advance of their joint appearance at an event with State Sen. Omar Fateh in Minneapolis on Monday night.

Their casual chat was recorded and in unison, they downplayed the recent federal raid on her Washington, D.C., home. Just a "normal week," Omar joked with a Cheshire grin. Piker nodded along. There was some unintelligible banter about "Botox faces" and "fascists." The usual drivel. It seemed scripted.

ILHAN OMAR JOINS 'POLARIZING AND DANGEROUS' STREAMER AT CAMPAIGN EVENT DESPITE DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH

Once they took the stage together, at the "I'm the Host Now!" event, Piker kicked his defense of Omar into overdrive with a litany of wretched insults. "Republicans… are the most un-American force in this country. They are terrorists," he proclaimed.

This has become a standard refrain for Piker.

HASAN PIKER LASHES OUT AT REPUBLICANS, CALLS THEM 'TERRORISTS' IN EVENT WITH ILHAN OMAR

Then he zeroed in on the accusations that Omar may have lied about her birthdate and true identity to gain citizenship. With the conviction of a zealous preacher in his pulpit, Piker declared, "A paperwork violation does not require deportation."

This would appear to be the first time that anyone speaking on Omar’s behalf has conceded that something in her background or citizenship filings may be amiss. Piker did not explain what the "paperwork violation" was, as convenience would have it.

HOMAN SAYS ILHAN OMAR COULD BE STRIPPED OF NATURALIZATION, DEPORTED IF IMMIGRATION FRAUD IS PROVEN

But his assertion also had the inconvenience of being wrong. A violation or false statement on U.S. citizenship or naturalization paperwork can, indeed, carry grave consequences. A material omission or misrepresentation can lead to revocation of citizenship and removal.

It does not have to be a criminal act such as fraud to become actionable. Denaturalization can occur —and often does— through civil proceedings in federal court. The standard of proof is "clear and convincing evidence," which is far lower than in criminal prosecutions.

REP ILHAN OMAR'S IMMIGRATION HISTORY FACES NEW SCRUTINY AS FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS SUBPOENA RELATIVES

Even if Omar did not herself misrepresent anything in her paperwork, she could still see her citizenship status vanish.

If her father lied in his application, that could nullify his daughter’s citizenship since hers was derivative of his. If he never obtained legitimate citizenship at all, that would invalidate Omar’s citizenship.

FEDERAL AGENTS SEIZE PHONE OF REP ILHAN OMAR IN RAID TIED TO IMMIGRATION FRAUD PROBE

An honest clerical error or misunderstanding of a question might be forgiven. But that is clearly not what federal authorities are investigating. A U.S. District Court judge in Washington —a Democrat— approved the search of Omar’s home based on compelling evidence of suspected criminality.

That kind of judicial order is not the result of an innocent "paperwork violation," as Piker unknowingly contends.

ILHAN OMAR IS NOT THE MINNESOTA CONGRESSWOMAN’S 'REAL NAME': SOURCES

In the past, he has happily exploited the Omar case to accuse the Trump administration of targeting her for "political intimidation." This ignores the fact that the original investigation of the congresswoman began under Joe Biden’s presidency.

Piker has also decried the long-running rumors that Omar married her brother to gain immigration benefits as a "heinous lie." How exactly does Piker know that? He wasn’t there when the nuptials took place. Has he ever met the alleged brother-husband, who is reported to be living in London? Doubtful.

OBAMA BACKS ILHAN OMAR AMID PROBE, ACCUSES TRUMP ADMIN OF 'APPALLING' TARGETING IN LENGTHY STATEMENT

The unvarnished truth is that Piker doesn’t know what he’s yapping about.

But DNA evidence would know. That is probably why the feds were so interested in obtaining it. Testing could answer a multitude of vexing questions.

Are Omar and her ex-husband genetically proven siblings? Is Omar the person she purports to be? She is identified as someone else with a different surname in recent court filings by the U.S. Attorney in Washington.

ILHAN OMAR’S HUSBAND INSISTS HE HAS ‘NO CONCERNS’ AMID FEDERAL IMMIGRATION INVESTIGATION

Platforming Hasan Piker at a campaign event tells you everything you need to know about extremist Democrats who have infected the party like a modern plague.

Sponsoring his appearance implicitly condones his loathsome opinions. Judging him by his ugly rhetoric, this is a guy who is virulently antisemitic and a purveyor of hate.

Yet, there was Ilhan Omar. She appeared all too happy to sit alongside him. Does she share the incendiary and bigoted views that Piker routinely spews? She did not disagree with him when he condemned Republicans as un-American "terrorists."

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Nor has Omar ever denounced Piker’s other grotesque statements. He said that America deserved 9/11 but later apologized for the word "deserved" amid a severe backlash. But he has never retracted —and apparently does not regret— the dehumanizing insults that he has hurled at Jews and Israel. They are too disgusting to repeat here.

Other prominent Minnesota Democrats have castigated Piker. But not Omar. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor, characterized his sickening statements as "reckless and unacceptable." Rep. Angie Craig called Piker’s demagoguery "polarizing and dangerous."

Piker deserves to be ostracized, not embraced.

Since Ilhan Omar has made little effort to distance herself from his beliefs, one can reasonably conclude that she countenances them. She reveals her true self, relishing his disdain for all things American.

Perhaps it is true that a person is known by the company they keep.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM GREGG JARRETT

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In March of last year, my daughter Margot was born, and like any new father, I found myself thinking about the opportunities that would shape her future. I recently enrolled her in a Trump Account, President Donald Trump's initiative to help American children begin building wealth from an early age. With a $1,000 federal contribution for eligible children born between 2025 and 2028, the program gives the next generation an opportunity to benefit from decades of investment growth.

As President Trump's former Federal Housing Administration Commissioner, I also believe Trump Accounts should be just the beginning for how we can help young Americans build lasting wealth. In particular, I think we are at a pivotal point in American history to enact new policies to help generations of families achieve financial independence through owning their first home.

At 20 years old, I purchased my first house for $200,000 using an FHA-insured mortgage that required just 3.5% down, or $7,000. I also benefited from an $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. Today, that property has more than doubled in value. Yet I worry that the path to homeownership is becoming increasingly difficult for Margot’s generation. According to the National Association of Realtors, first-time buyers now account for just 21% of home purchases, the lowest share on record since tracking began in 1981.

WHO WANTS THEIR CHILD TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? TRUMP HAS GIVEN YOU THAT CHANCE

The natural next step after the President’s creation of Trump Accounts for young children is to help this same generation achieve the dream of homeownership. I believe this new policy should be called a Trump Mortgage program, which can be a national initiative designed to help qualified first-time homebuyers secure mortgage rates one to one-and-a-half percentage points below prevailing market rates.

Here’s how we can develop the policy for the Trump Mortgage: First, the Treasury, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac can immediately purchase the mortgage bonds backed by qualifying first-time homebuyer mortgages. The objective would be to facilitate the financing of these mortgages at lower rates using the secondary bond market, similar to a strategy already being deployed by Secretary Bessent and FHFA Director Pulte.

TRUMP-BACKED HOUSING OVERHAUL TARGETING WALL STREET INVESTORS CLEARS SENATE

The government should then hold onto these bonds while interest rates remain elevated and sell them when rates decline. It is important to note that this program won’t provide free money as Treasury, Fannie and Freddie are already in the business of buying mortgage backed securities. Any program would have clear limits on its size, funding costs, prepayment risk, and taxpayer exposure.

Next, Congress should expand the use of existing tax-exempt mortgage financing. This isn’t some untested financial innovation. State housing finance agencies have been issuing tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds for decades. Since investors generally accept lower yields when interest is exempt from federal income tax, eligible borrowers can benefit from lower mortgage rates.

Congress already has bipartisan legislation proposed to expand the capacity of these programs. We should build on that existing model and explore whether a broader first-time homebuyer initiative like the Trump Mortgage program makes sense.

Consider a young couple purchasing a $350,000 home with a $330,000 30 year mortgage. At a 6.5% interest rate, their monthly principal and interest payment would be approximately $2,086, but reducing that rate to 5% would lower the payment to roughly $1,772. For a family balancing childcare, groceries and the everyday expenses of raising children, saving more than $300 every month and $100,000 over the life of the loan that could be the difference between continuing to rent and finally purchasing a home

THE AMERICAN DREAM NOW COMES WITH A ZIP CODE: HERE'S WHERE STARTER HOMES ARE STILL WITHIN REACH

Of course, lower mortgage rates alone will not solve America's housing shortage, and expanding access to financing must go hand in hand with policies that make it easier to build more homes. During my tenure leading the FHA, I saw firsthand how thoughtful reforms could reduce costs, improve efficiency and expand access to homeownership without abandoning responsible lending standards.

When I purchased my first home, I never imagined where that opportunity would lead. Today, as I think about Margot's future, I hope she will inherit a country where buying a first home is a realistic milestone rather than a distant aspiration. President Trump has given her generation a head start on building wealth with Trump Accounts, and now we have an opportunity to help turn those early investments into achieving the American Dream with the Trump Mortgage.

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Despite the basic rule of politics — it takes 50% of the vote plus one to win — both parties have occasionally put forward nominees from the farther reaches of the right or from the extreme left. Those candidates have sometimes combined terrible public personalities and debate skills with policy positions far beyond the edges of mainstream politics.

This year Democrats are trying to sell four extremists to voters: Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota, Troy Jackson in Maine and James Talarico in Texas. In three of those four races, Republicans have countered with nominees from the center: Mike Rogers in Michigan, Michele Tafoya in Minnesota and the incumbent in Maine, Senator Susan Collins, who, as Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations is the most powerful woman inside the Beltway and whose defeat would be an enormous "own goal" for Mainers.

MORNING GLORY: FIVE SENATE RACES SHOW WHY DEMOCRATS MAY REGRET THEIR PRIMARY CHOICES

The Republican Senate nominee in Texas is the state’s own attorney general, Ken Paxton, who has run and won three times in the Lone Star State. Paxton is a flawed candidate, but he will be a reliable GOP vote in the Senate and the party has rallied to him even though there are bruised feelings from the contentious primary.

Republicans have indulged their base over the years, especially in 2010 when it put forward Christine O’Donnell in Delaware, Sharron Angle in Nevada, and Ken Buck in Colorado, and in 2012 with the nominations of Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana.

All five of those Republicans lost.

This year, a week out from Election Day, it especially doesn’t look good for Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Troy Jackson in Maine. El-Sayed has a reflexive attitude of grievance and in Maine, Jackson suffers in any side-by-side comparison with Susan Collins, who is a formidable political athlete.

DAVID MARCUS: IN BLUE MAINE, NOBODY BELIEVES SUSAN COLLINS WILL LOSE UNTIL THEY SEE IT

Talarico has seen Paxton rise and rise in the polls and the GOP has spent millions showing Texans how far out in left field Talarico plays. Talarico weirdly vanished from the campaign trail for a dozen days and blamed the flu.

In Minnesota — the "bluest" of the four states, the epic fraud scandal has followed Flanagan's campaign, who has been the state’s Lieutenant Governor since 2019. Flanagan is matched against the political "rookie of the year" in Republican moderate Michele Tafoya, a sparkling and affable centrist.

Democrats have tried to prop up their failing four fanatics by sending out Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, former Vice President Kamala Harris and have pulled former President Barack Obama off Martha’s Island to throw him into the breach.

Trouble is "AOC," "Bernie," and "Kamala" all telegraph "whacky or worse" into the electorate’s consciousness, and the former president’s schtick was old in 2014 when he helped provoke a red wave with Republicans netting nine Senate seats and a baker’s dozen House seats.

EL-SAYED’S SCATHING OBAMA CRITIQUE RESURFACES AHEAD OF JOINT CAMPAIGN RALLY

El-Sayed’s campaign seems to be in free-fall as the candidate first turned argumentative, then angry, in appearances culminating last week with his interview with Fox News’ own Bret Baier. El-Sayed’s hostile and rude treatment of Baier — the quintessential gentleman of the news business — was instantly understood by anyone who saw it as an attempt to hide his record by loudly talking over Baier’s questions and deflecting to non-issues unrelated to Baier’s straightforward and brief questions. That interview may have done the candidate the most damage of the cycle as it came after Rogers had just blistered El-Sayed in their final debate.

El-Sayed’s many attempts in many settings to cover up the details of his "Medicare for All" tax-spend-and-ration health care boondoggle with semantics and word puzzles left viewers wondering on what topic could they actually trust El-Sayed? Certainly not Iran or Islamist extremism, as El-Sayed’s frantic attempts to escape his past actions and statements have backfired.

El-Sayed’s biggest blunder — his declaration that "hurt people hurt people" after an attack on a Michigan synagogue — has never receded in the public’s mind. Rogers, meanwhile, has methodically campaigned in traditional Democratic strongholds in and around Detroit and Pontiac and stresses his distinguished career as a federal and state legislator, FBI agent and Army officer.

DAVID MARCUS: THE 5 FACTORS THAT COULD DECIDE MICHIGAN'S TIGHT AND UGLY SENATE RACE

Peggy Flanagan and James Talarico simply haven’t, and apparently cannot, connect with the center of their states’ electorates. They are just "way outside the ‘40s’" where most of American politics, like most NFL games, are played. Flanagan’s campaign is mired in the swamp of the massive fraud that engulfed part of the Twin Cities’ Somali community. Talarico’s long tenure among "the woke" has haunted him throughout the campaign, as has his resting face of innocent cluelessness.

DEMOCRATS WHO ‘NEVER VOTED REPUBLICAN’ BACK ROGERS OVER EL-SAYED IN RAZOR-CLOSE RACE

Up in Maine, Troy Jackson got waxed by the veteran Collins in four out of four debates in all of which Jackson struggled with very basic questions about very basic issues — like the enormous difference between Medicare and Medicaid. "Oh shut up!" Jackson also grunted into a microphone on the debate stage as Collins made a joke about a debate disrupter being a Jackson supporter.

Mainers are a polite lot. They also know that turning out the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in favor of a guy who often looks like he slept outside and just woke up would be a singularly unwise trade for everyone in the state. When the Democratic Socialists of America’s ("DSA") hand-picked erratic and voluble Graham Platner had to exit the Maine race, the Maine Democratic Party could have picked anyone in the state to replace him. That they chose Jackson, the third place loser from the then just-completed Democratic gubernatorial primary, remains one of the baffling questions in a year of political surprises.

The GOP is "coming home" as President Donald Trump has exhausted his own team with daily rallies and sometimes two. The cliché that "it all comes down to turnout" isn’t lost on the president who knows the hatred of the left is priced into his persona, but that getting his own voters to the polls is exactly what his rallies do.

Republicans learned from their "Tea Party" years that candidates cannot win with their bases, but also that you can’t win with just the base. Democrats have forgotten their wilderness years of 1980 through 1993, which only ended when Bill Clinton and the Democratic Leadership Council pulled the entire party back towards the middle.

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Now the DSA has put the Democrats in full "Thelma and Louise" mode as they have accelerated their party over the left cliff of national politics. The "false positive" of Mayor Mamdani’s narrow win in the New York mayoral race last year proved to be a disaster for mainstream Democrats this year.

"50% plus 1" is the formula. The Democrats of 2026 forgot that recipe even as the Republicans of 2010 and 2012 did. The consequences will be revealed next Tuesday.

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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A cross-border pipeline of stolen vehicles allegedly supplied Mexican cartels with cars and trucks to support their criminal operations, federal authorities say, with 13 people now facing charges in the scheme.

The vehicles were stolen from private owners and major rental car companies before being driven through El Paso, Texas, and across the border into Mexico, where they were allegedly used to support the cartels’ daily operations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

Authorities have recovered 29 vehicles worth an estimated $1.14 million as part of the investigation, dubbed Operation Southbound Takedown, prosecutors said.

PIRRO WARNS CAR THEFT RING USED NEW TECH TO QUICKLY ACCESS VEHICLES: 'GONE IN 60 SECONDS'

Ryan G. McRae, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, said the stolen vehicles reveal a pattern of criminal activity extending beyond auto theft.

"These are not isolated property crimes," McRae said. "The stolen vehicles related to Operation Southbound Takedown demonstrate an alarming pattern and are used to support the day-to-day operations of dangerous criminal organizations."

Photos released by prosecutors showed a damaged white SUV recovered in Mexico, as well as an armored black SUV and an armored pickup truck.

Federal agents and prosecutors began investigating in the spring after identifying a pattern of stolen vehicles being transported to individuals allegedly connected to criminal organizations in Mexico, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

NEVADA MAN FUNNELED 140 GUNS TO VIOLENT MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS, INCLUDING POWERFUL 'MILITARY-STYLE' RIFLES: DOJ

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons warned people considering transporting stolen vehicles into Mexico that cartels are exploiting individuals looking to make a "quick buck" to further their criminal operations.

Those operations, he said, include "human smuggling, extortion, drug trafficking, and even murder."

TRUMP ADMIN'S LIST OF US-DESIGNATED 'FOREIGN TERRORIST' GROUPS IN LATIN AMERICA EXPANDS TO 21

"You are now on notice," Simmons said. "If you provide support to these cartels, many of which have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations, by transporting stolen vehicles out of this country and into Mexico, we will find you, and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."

Of the 13 people charged, 11 are U.S. citizens and two are Mexican citizens, prosecutors said. One of the Mexican citizens has a lawful permanent resident card, while the other has a border crossing card.

Two of the Americans, Kimberly Aguilar and Marty Gerardo Jr., are in state custody. The other 11 people were federally indicted and arrested between July 22 and Oct. 19, according to prosecutors.

All 13 are charged with interstate transportation of stolen property and face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted. The charges are allegations, and each person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and other federal, state and local agencies working through the Homeland Security Task Force.

McRae said authorities worked with private-sector partners to disrupt the alleged vehicle theft and transportation network as part of an investigation spanning the United States and Mexico.

"This work is ongoing; we’re not stopping here," he said.

FBI El Paso acting Special Agent in Charge Coult W. Markovsky also had a warning for people helping cartels.

"To individuals assisting the cartels, Justice will find you!" he said.

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A century ago, when universities wanted to mold students into highly "literate" graduates, they exposed them to the greatest works of literature, assigned analytical essays, and held classroom debates.

As the internet age dawned a few decades ago, colleges recognized the need to update their curricula and teaching methods — to ensure that students didn't merely master the great books, but also acquired the digital literacy skills to succeed in the 21st-century workforce.

Now, another seismic shift is underway. Artificial intelligence is reshaping how people learn and work at every stage of life. This time, universities will not only have to update what and how they teach, but also how long they teach it. In a world where AI evolves faster than any four-year degree can keep pace, universities have a unique opportunity and a responsibility to redesign their offerings and programs to ensure their students — past, present, and future — are AI literate.

CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY AIMS TO PRODUCE 'IRREPLACEABLE' GRADUATES AS AI RESHAPES HIGHER EDUCATION

Americans are adopting AI faster than any other technology in history. According to Pew Research Center, roughly half of U.S. adults now use AI in their everyday lives, up from one-third in 2024. People of all ages are turning to these tools for everything from financial advice to travel planning and healthcare information.

But there is a big difference between simply using AI and using it effectively.

THERE IS NO AI IN ARMAGEDDON. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS A TOOL, NOT AN APOCALYPSE

A landmark experiment by researchers at Harvard Business School and Boston Consulting Group illustrates this distinction. The study found that consultants using leading AI models produced higher-quality work and completed tasks faster — but only when they recognized the technology's strengths and limitations. When they relied on AI for tasks outside its areas of competence, their performance was actually worse than that of a control group of consultants who weren't allowed to use AI at all. The researchers described this uneven boundary as AI's "jagged frontier" — it is superhumanly competent at certain tasks, while surprisingly incompetent at others. As a result, AI can boost productivity in areas where we have expertise, but we must be wary that it can mislead us in areas where we don’t.

As the models become more and more capable, that frontier will continue to shift. But it will always exist. And understanding where that frontier is — and how to leverage the technology's strengths without turning a blind eye to its weaknesses — is the essence of AI literacy.

THE BEST DEFENSE AGAINST HIGH-TECH AI SCAMS IS LOW-TECH SKEPTICISM, EXPERT WARNS

And this literacy is increasingly important at any age. Recent college graduates may use AI to build software or analyze data. A mid-career manager may use it to automate routine work, summarize reports, or test new business ideas. A retiree may use it to navigate healthcare information, manage medications, or compare Medicare options.

Each of these tasks requires more than knowing how to open an app or coding harness. People must also know which questions to ask, how much confidence to place in the answers, and when independent verification or expert advice is required — no matter whether they're filling out tax forms, comparing loan terms, or reviewing legal documents.

Mastering those skills will require continuous learning, especially as AI becomes more capable and more deeply embedded in our lives. That is precisely where colleges and universities have an important role to play.

Universities already have the basic infrastructure to meet that need. After all, many institutions maintain relationships with alumni through continuing education, professional certificates, executive education, and lifelong learning programs.

Programs aimed at lifelong AI literacy — and, ultimately, AI fluency — belong alongside those offerings. These might take the form of short courses, stackable certificates, alumni refresher programs, community workshops, or employer partnerships.

For example, MIT offers professional courses in AI prompt engineering. And my organization recently launched a free Applied AI microcredential for alumni. The program helps graduates across industries keep up with AI in real-world contexts — covering everything from common AI terminology to AI bias.

Beyond career-focused instruction, universities could offer practical AI education for every stage of life. A new parent could learn how to evaluate AI-generated health advice for their child, while a retiree could take a workshop on spotting AI-powered financial scams.

In the years ahead, AI literacy will become as essential as digital literacy is today. Universities have long helped people adapt to transformative changes in society. In the AI era, higher education should continue to embrace that responsibility by becoming lifelong partners in AI education.

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It’s last-minute garbage time as the midterms are just over a week away, with candidates uncorking their dirtiest ads, their filthiest charges and their ugliest rhetoric. 

This barrage is fueled as never before by social media, and a surging public interest since any one of a dozen states could tip the battle for Senate control.  

I feel like taking a shower. 

The chairman of Montana’s Democratic Party, Shannon O’Brien, just resigned, underscoring the extreme sensitivity to national politics. The party, she said in an MS NOW essay, "is more divided than ever not because of our values but because of the race for the U.S. Senate… The winner of this race will almost certainly vote on a nominee to the Supreme Court."

THE NINE KEY RACES THAT WILL DECIDE WHO CONTROLS THE SENATE, AND WHERE THEY STAND

O’Brien said there are "real questions" about the Democratic candidate’s views on such issues as abortion and poverty.

Virginia’s Democratic state senator L. Louise Lucas was just indicted on federal charges including racketeering conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, related to her co-ownership of a cannabis business.

The probe predates the Trump administration, but Lucas vowed to fight back: "I grew up under Jim Crow. I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them."

It’s like an echo chamber. President Trump has already nationalized the election by saying people should vote as if he’s on the ballot–and barnstorming with increasingly tough talk about the Democrats.

A local council member in suburban Des Moines, Shellie Flockhart, appeared in an ad ripping a Democratic candidate as "just plain dangerous" for kids–but the Washington Post reported that she once pleaded guilty to child endangerment after driving drunk with two of her children. 

A splashy piece in Vanity Fair, containing allegations against Jared Kushner, just happened to come out now, prompting Kushner’s lawyer to put the magazine on notice of a potential lawsuit.  

The attorney for the president’s son-in-law argued that Vanity Fair had failed after repeated requests to produce "a single bank statement, wire transfer record, account number, or other verifiable evidence supporting these extraordinary accusations."

DNC LAWSUIT ACCUSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OF DIVERTING $20M IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR 'PROPAGANDA' ADS

The article, which Kushner calls "completely insane," is based on a forthcoming book claiming that Russian security services hacked his phone, disclosing $700 million in secret foreign transactions, and that his signature is on an account set up by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 

The timing sounds more than coincidental.

After decades of political coverage, I immediately knew that the toxic ad by Vivek Ramaswamy–featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s long-estranged mother calling her a liar–would be more than just an issue in the Ohio governor’s race. I sensed that it would quickly become a national referendum on sleaziness.

The mother, Donna Arthur, sided with her second husband, even though Cledith Arthur was indicted for raping Amy Acton when she was 12 years old. The couple disappeared, and the stepfather was never tried before his death. Acton has had no contact with her mother since 1978. 

To their credit, many Republicans, led by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, have denounced the ad. Trump has defended it as fair game, saying he doesn’t know anything about a stepfather and that Democrats would certainly use such an ad against him.

In far lesser-known races, the mudslinging grows by the day.

In Texas, Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz is sending a torrent of emails about her opponent, saying "Bobby Pulido is unfit to serve in Congress." When his fellow bandmate "was arrested on a child rape charge, Bobby went to his uncle, the crooked district attorney, and the charge disappeared along with three other felonies. Gone."

‘CAN’T TRUST AMY ACTON’: VIRAL AD DISTRACTS FROM WHAT’S REALLY AT STAKE IN CRITICAL RACE, GOP STRATEGIST SAYS

Pulido told Politico that he never knew about his onetime accordionist’s child molestation charges more than a decade ago. 

"I’ve apologized for everything that I’ve ever joked about that offended anybody… There’s a lot of tweets in there that I’m embarrassed of. There’s jokes that I’ve told that I apologize for," he said.

But the Washington Free Beacon says Pulido "has given shifting stories and conflicting information surrounding his child molester bandmate." 

In the more prominent Senate race in Texas between Ken Paxton and James Talarico, the attorney general has been running an AI-generated spot saying his Democratic opponent "voted for an income tax" and "Texans can’t afford Talarico’s radical agenda."

Fact-checkers call the income tax charge false, and Talarico’s response ad says, "I don’t have to use AI, because the truth about Ken Paxton is bad enough."

But how many voters, in Texas and across the country, will take the time to sort out such charges and counter-charges? How many will just tune out the high-decibel attacks? How many will hit the mute button? 

Personally, I feel numb after scrutinizing the seemingly endless barrage on the airwaves. I fact-checked ads for five presidential cycles, but this is dirtier and more unhinged than ever.

And the crucial question for 2026: How many voters will just stay home?

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