Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Wednesday, in a significant victory against the Trump administration’s ongoing war on government transparency, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted summary judgment in favor of American Oversight, striking down a Department of Energy (DOE) policy that would have allowed the agency to potentially close thousands of properly submitted, pending Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The ruling blocks an unlawful attempt by the Trump administration to evade its obligations under FOIA by shifting the burden of keeping public records requests open onto the public. The court held that DOE exceeded the limited legal authority granted to…

On the third day of being in labour with my first child, I entered a new state of being. It was time to dig deep. This is what I had learned in all the childbirth classes. As long as I remained calm, breathed as instructed, moaned through the pain, things would happen as they were meant to. My body knew what it was doing. Only, it didn’t.On the fourth day, I started to beg. This wasn’t right. Despite contraction after relentless contraction, I wasn’t dilating. I hadn’t slept, I couldn’t even sit down. I needed help. And still, they waited.…

The Trump administration has repeatedly pushed back on reports of shortages of both offensive and defensive weapons.United States President Donald Trump has vowed to hunt down “leakers” after several news reports detailing a dangerous depletion of munitions stockpiles amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.While several reports had previously documented munitions depletions since the war began on February 28, the latest reports painted a more dire picture.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listReuters news agency and CBS News reported that the military had burned through nearly all of its offensive Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMSs) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs),…

Many mainstream schools in England were given attendance targets specific to their school in a widespread trial last year, but on Thursday the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed that every school would be getting their own target and that it would be monitored for the first time. The BBC understands there will be no immediate penalties for schools who miss their attendance targets, but that the DfE will get in touch with schools that are off-track to make sure they are aware and taking action.Schools could then be pointed towards best practice guidance, or encouraged to join with other schools…

Other AI Notetakers We’ve TestedThis is a nascent category that’s growing. Here are others we’ve tested, but we’ll also be keeping an eye on upcoming new hardware from companies like Omi, Boya, Mobvoi, and SwitchBot.Photograph: Chris NullPlaud NotePin S for $179: The 18-gram NotePin S is one of the smallest and most versatile notetakers on the market (you can wear it as a lanyard, even!), but it’s expensive given that it offers just 300 minutes of transcription unless you pay for a subscription. Transcriptions are not displayed in real time, though their eventual analysis is solid. It’s a handy little…

Swati KhandelwalAug 06, 2026OT Security / Vulnerability Forescout found 22 internet-facing Rockwell Automation programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in cities hit by recent cyberattacks on US water utilities. Nineteen used the same mobile carrier network. Its August 3 scan counted 4,407 exposed Rockwell controllers worldwide, including 2,844 in the United States, but Forescout could not confirm any were compromised. That figure counts exposed controllers, not water utilities or confirmed victims. Forescout said the publicly described effects could be achieved without a vulnerability exploit: attackers changed IP addresses and set passwords on controllers that were already reachable, causing operators to lose visibility…

Bitcoin miner IREN registered nearly 12 million shares issued in its acquisition of Mirantis for potential resale, creating a block worth about $476 million that could add selling pressure to its stock.The company agreed in May to acquire Mirantis in a transaction valued at approximately $625 million at signing, largely through a fixed number of 13.7 million IREN shares.However, the deal closed Aug. 3 with IREN issuing 12.6 million shares alongside about $40 million in cash, restricted stock units and other consideration.One day later, IREN filed a prospectus covering 11.9 million of those shares held by former Mirantis investors, directors,…

One of the major rivers of Europe, the Elbe flows more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) across the continent before reaching the North Sea. At its mouth, the low-lying landscape is continually reshaped by the rise and fall of the tides. These dynamic tidal flats are a boon to biodiversity while sometimes posing challenges for those navigating its waters and for communities living along its shores. The images above illustrate how the area changes with the tides. They were acquired on August 15, 2025, at low tide (left) and on May 11, 2025, at high tide (right) with the OLI (Operational…

On the morning of June 27, a 7.6-meter (25-foot) blue whale calf washed ashore on a busy beach in Mumbai, India’s financial capital and the capital of Maharashtra state. Whale strandings are rare along the Maharashtra coast, so Mongabay spoke with experts to find out what happened next. “Each stranding incident is a totally unexpected event,” N. Vasudevan, former head of Maharashtra government’s Mangrove Cell, an administrative unit that manages coastal ecosystems, told Mongabay. “You can prepare for years, but then it may not happen for years. And one fine morning, it is there on the beach.” According…

by Tom Kertscher / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch August 6, 2026 Yes. Wisconsin’s highest income tax rate is 7.65%.  For individuals, it applies to all taxable annual income above $323,290. For married taxpayers filing jointly, the threshold is $431,060. Lower tax rates apply to taxable income below the two thresholds. A married couple with taxable income of $450,000 would pay the same tax rate on the portion of their income above $431,060 as a billionaire with $50 million in taxable income would pay on the larger portion of their income above that threshold, said Jason Stein, president of the nonpartisan…