Latest news with #leak
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
US defense secretary's aides reportedly used polygraphs to root out leaks
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth's senior aides conducted polygraphs on their own colleagues this spring, in some cases as part of an effort to flush out anyone who leaked to the media and apparently to undercut rivals in others, according to four people familiar with the matter. The polygraphs came at a time of profound upheaval in his office, as Hegseth opened a leak investigation and sought to identify the culprits by any means necessary after a series of sensitive disclosures and unflattering stories. But the polygraphs became contentious after the aides who were targeted questioned whether they were even official, given at least one polygraph was ordered without Hegseth's direct knowledge and sparked an intervention by a Trump adviser who does not work at the Pentagon. The fraught episode involved Hegseth's lawyer and part-time navy commander Tim Parlatore seeking to polygraph Patrick Weaver, a senior adviser to the secretary who was at the White House in Donald Trump's first term and has ties to deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the people said. When Weaver learned of his impending polygraph, he complained to associates that he had been suspected without evidence, the people said. That led the external Trump adviser to take his complaint to Hegseth – only for Hegseth to say he did not even know about the test. The external Trump adviser called Parlatore on his cell phone to shut down the impending polygraph, shouting down the line that in Trump's second term, career employees did not get to question political appointees, according to two people familiar with the conversation. Weaver does not appear to have escalated his complaint to the White House, telling associates that he preferred not to bother Miller with problems. Earlier reports suggested the White House intervened on Weaver's behalf but the people said the White House learned of it after it was cancelled. A White House spokesperson declined to comment. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement: 'The Department will not comment on an ongoing investigation.' The extraordinary episode underscored ongoing concerns around Hegseth's ability to manage the Pentagon – he is still facing an inspector general report into his disclosure in a Signal chat about US strikes against the Houthis – and why a Trump adviser ended up staging an intervention. Weaver's cancelled polygraph was earlier reported by the Washington Post. But the effort at the Pentagon to weed out leakers with lie detector tests continued against uniformed military officers even after the incident with Weaver, three of the people said. Hegseth's then-military aide and current acting chief of staff Ricky Buria at one point ordered polygraphs against several people connected to possible and perceived rivals at the Pentagon including senior adviser Eric Geressy, despite his own polygraph coming back as inconclusive. Buria, who is said not to care for Geressy, did not order a polygraph against him in the wake of the Weaver incident. Instead, the people said, he ordered polygraphs for officers who worked for Geressy, including Hegseth's military assistants Capt William Francis, a former navy Seal, and Col Mike Loconsolo. In an additional twist, the polygraphs for the uniformed officials became fraught after one person complained his had not been conducted by the Defense Intelligence Agency but a defense department contractor, and was separately told his polygraph could just double as being for his regular background investigation, two people familiar with the matter said. Hegseth himself threatened polygraphs to catch leakers, including against two top military officials, the Wall Street Journal earlier reported: navy Adm Christopher Grady, the vice chair of the joint chiefs of staff, and army Lt Gen Douglas Sims, the director of the joint staff. According to two people familiar with the case of Sims, Buria had privately suggested that he might have played a role in leaking a classified plan for the Panama canal to NBC News, among other transgressions that included an allegation that Sims had been disrespectful. While it does not appear that Sims was actually polygraphed, Hegseth revoked his promotion to a four star general, despite earlier agreeing to the move at the recommendation of multiple career and political officials, the New York Times earlier reported. Hegseth told Sims that his connections to Gen Mark Milley, the former chief of the joint staff that Trump hates, were disqualifying – although Sims had ironically helped remove Milley's portrait off the wall at the Pentagon when Hegseth arrived at the Pentagon, one of the people said. Several officials, including the chairman of the joint chiefs Gen Dan Caine, told Hegseth that Sims was not a leaker and deserved better. Hegseth told officials he would sleep on it but never revisited the matter, the people said.
GSM Arena
21 hours ago
- GSM Arena
Google Pixel 10 family's prices in the US and Canada leak
We'd say "another day, another Pixel 10 leak" but it wouldn't be accurate anymore, as there are already multiple leaks per day regarding Google's next smartphones. Today we've seen a new round of leaked images and specs, as well as a rumor about the release date for the series. And now we have prices for the entire Pixel 10 family - again. Last time they leaked for Europe, this time they're for the US and Canada. So, without further ado, here's the rumored pricing breakdown in a nifty table. Google Pixel 10 Google Pixel 10 Pro Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold 128GB $799 / CAD 1,099 $999 / CAD 1,349 - - 256GB $899 / CAD 1,229 $1,099 / CAD 1,479 $1,199 / CAD 1,629 $1,799 / CAD 2,399 512GB - $1,219 / CAD 1,649 $1,319 / CAD 1,799 $1,919 / CAD 2,569 1TB - $1,449 / CAD 1,949 $1,549 / CAD 2,099 $2,149 / CAD 2,869 There won't be a direct price hike for any device, but the Pixel 10 Pro XL gets an indirect one since Google is dropping the 128GB model. The 256GB iteration, now the cheapest, is still priced the same as the Pixel 9 Pro XL last year, but if you just want to get the most affordable option regardless of storage capacity, then you are paying more for the Pixel 10 Pro XL. The Pixel 10 will allegedly get six months of the Google AI Pro plan for free, six months of Fitbit Premium, and three months of YouTube Premium. The rest of the lineup will get a full year of Google AI Pro and the same YouTube and Fitbit perks. Source | Image source
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Washington Post
The Tea app was intended to help women date safely. Then it got hacked
Tea, a provocative dating app designed to let women anonymously ask or warn each other about men they'd encountered, rocketed to the top spot on the U.S. Apple App Store this week. On Friday, the company behind the app confirmed it had been hacked : Thousands of images, including selfies, were leaked online.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sewage leak sees area fenced off and tanker drafted in
Sewage leaking from a main pipe has led to an area of Appley on the Isle of Wight being fenced off and a tanker drafted in. The burst is believed to have occurred on the wastewater rising mains pipe, which runs from Appley Pumping Station to the Sewage Treatment Plant in Sandown. The pressurised pipeline carries sewage uphill from a lower elevation to a higher elevation. Southern Water said the leak was identified on Thursday (July 24) at the car park in Appley. Cllr Michael Lilley, who represents the Appley and Elmfield ward, said it has occurred in the area known as Little Appley. Read more: Princess Anne watches Fastnet Race and Red Arrows in Cowes PHOTOS Island teen living 'childhood dream' as new star of Jay Miller's Circus Southern Water described it as a 'small' leak but has cordoned off the area and is using a tanker 'to manage wastewater flows and prevent environmental impact'. Sewage leak in Appley (Image: Cllr Michael Lilley) A specialist team is expected to attend the site on Monday (July 28) to assess the leak and plan the repair. A spokesperson for Southern Water said: "We're sorry for any inconvenience to locals and businesses in the area.' Cllr Lilley said the pipe runs under Appley Park, up to Little Appley and under Appley Road and across Westridge Farm land towards Brading. He said there was a leak on the same pipe in Brading not long ago and another in January, near Appley Manor Hotel. "I will be holding Southern Water to account and in the meantime take care if walking through Little Appley", he said.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
College football star accused of the ultimate betrayal
The Memphis Tigers appear to have fallen victim to a mole after one of their players was accused of leaking the team's playbook to a rival quarterback. Safety Tahj Ra-El is alleged to have sent pictures and details of the Tigers' playbook to UTSA star Owen McCown before the two teams faced off in November 2024. Memphis went on to lose the game 44-36. McCown is the son of Josh McCown, the former NFL quarterback who is now the quarterback coach for Minnesota Vikings, a role he has held since 2024. By the time of the game, Ra-El had transferred to Purdue. He is said to have left Memphis last October - after being dismissed from the team - but screenshots of his alleged messages to McCown only emerged this week on On3 Sports. 'Here you go... that's all the signals,' the messages read, alongside a photo of a team's playbook. In the exchange, the sender - believed to be Ra-El - also criticizes his teammates and provides further details on their tactics. 'None of the safeties can cover btw (by the way),' a message reads. 'The feild (sic) safety is the weakest link in the defense his hamstring (is) hurting but he's running out of eligibility so when you play him he number 0.' It's claimed the message was referring to Memphis star Kourtlan Marsh, who started ahead of Ra-El. Ra-El, a defensive back from Charlotte, North Carolina, spent three seasons with the Old Dominion Monarchs before moving to Memphis. But he played just four games for the Tigers, making one interception before leaving for Purdue. In a statement to On3 Sports, Purdue Athletics said: 'Our coaching staff sees the scenario as being mischaracterized and does not have any concerns moving forward.'
