The Friday Flyover Replay : Hackers Steal Billions of IDs, DNC Faces Protests, and a Robotaxi Serenade

The Friday Flyover Replay : Hackers Steal Billions of IDs, DNC Faces Protests, and a Robotaxi Serenade

Presented by Russell Sherrard,

Narrated by Artificial Intelligence,

THE FLYOVER,

Friday, AUGUST 16, 2024,

Good Morning! On this day in 1896, George Carmack found gold nuggets while fishing near the Klondike River, Yukon. This discovery sparked the last great gold rush in the American West.

We’re learning new facts about the Tar Heel state as we gear up for the launch next week of our new Flyover North Carolina. Did you know that Pilot Mountain and Mount Airy, actor Andy Griffith’s hometown, inspired the fictional setting of Mount Pilot and Mayberry?

We hope you enjoyed reading today’s Flyover. Let us know how we’re doing by replying to Russell Sherrard at russellsherrard@reagan.com.

The sponsors keep the tanks full around here. Be sure to check out today’s sponsors.

TAKEOFF,

Billions of Social Security Numbers Stolen,

Hackers allegedly stole 2.9 billion personal records, including Social Security numbers, from National Public Data, a background check company.

According to a lawsuit filed in Florida, a hacking group breached databases in April 2024, obtaining names, addresses, relatives, and Social Security numbers from the past three decades in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

After attempting to sell the information, the group posted it online for free.

Fourth Ivy League President Resigns,

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned on Wednesday, becoming the latest university president and the third Ivy League leader to step down over management of anti-Israel student protests.

Demonstrations began last April with students demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel and economic sanctions against the country. Campus leaders are expecting protests to begin again when the fall term starts.

Shafik, as well as Harvard’s Claudine Gay and Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania, were criticized for allowing protestors to create an environment of antisemitism.

Three Columbia administrators resigned earlier this month for sending antisemitic text messages.

Five Charged in Matthew Perry’s Death,

Five people, including two doctors and Matthew Perry’s assistant, have been charged in connection with the actor’s 2023 overdose death, revealing what officials call a “broad underground criminal network.”

Prosecutors allege the group exploited Perry’s addiction, naming Dr. Salvador Plasencia and drug trafficker Jasveen Sangha identified as lead defendants.

The network allegedly sold Perry approximately 20 vials of ketamine for $55,000 over two months in 2023.

The investigation led to the discovery of a “drug-selling emporium” at Sangha’s home, with Plasencia facing up to 120 years in prison and Sangha facing 10 years to life.

POLITICS,

Thousands of anti-Israel protesters plan to proceed with demonstrations at the DNC in Chicago despite President Biden’s withdrawal as the party’s nominee.

Vice President Harris will propose a controversial federal ban on food industry price-gouging as part of her economic policy platform, set to be unveiled Friday at a North Carolina campaign rally.

Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz have agreed to debate on October 1 on CBS, with Vance suggesting an additional September CNN debate.

The Arizona Supreme Court approved the use of the phrase “unborn human beings” in a voter pamphlet describing abortion initiative, overruling the lower court’s preference for “fetus.”

And Now, A word From one of Our Sponsors,

WordPress Blog Administration,

Are you an author or writer, with a Blog.
Maintaining a blog or website can get a little mundane or even crazy busy. It drains your energy which interrupts your creative flow.

Luckily this is where I shine.

Uploading your drafts to your blog
Adding voice to your blog posts
Formatting your content
Uploading your blog images – optimized for Search Engines, including “ALT” descriptions, Renaming Images, Resizing
Blog Promotion – includes auto-updates to Social Media (Twitter & Facebook)
Adding your Call-To-Action to end of post
Deleting spam comments
Moderating comments – I do not reply as your voice as this is still very important to your readers, $50 per week
Separately on a stand alone basis I can add voice(audio) to your blog posts. You choose Male/Female, $10 per post
To inquire on either of these options email Russell Sherrard at russellsherrard@reagan.com.

Now, back to the News.

SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT,

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge hit his 300th home run on Tuesday, becoming the fastest player in MLB history to reach the milestone.

NASCAR ruled Wednesday that Austin Dillon’s Cook Out 400 victory would not count towards eligibility for the Cup Series Playoffs after he deliberately caused Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to crash on the final lap of Sunday’s race.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kevin Kiermaier made a spectacular play, catching a fly ball and throwing out the Brewers’ Brice Turang at home plate in the first inning of a 5-4 loss.

FINANCE,

Big Stock Move: Portage Biotech shares rose 63% Thursday after the company announced a 1-for-20 reverse stock split of its ordinary shares.

The Security Exchange Commission fined 26 financial firms a total of $393 million on Wednesday in its latest WhatsApp probe, penalizing companies for failing to properly monitor and preserve employees’ electronic communications.

Walmart announced Thursday that it was cutting prices on 7,200 products as inflation slowed, aiming to maintain a competitive advantage.

Six Flags Great America announced plans Thursday to open Wrath of Rakshasa, a new record-breaking dive coaster, in 2025. The 180-foot-tall ride will feature the world’s steepest drop and most inversions on a dive coaster.

SCIENCE AND TECH,

Scientists spent a decade mapping human brain connections, scanning ultra-thin brain tissue slices to reveal intricate neural networks in samples thinner than 1/1,000th of a human hair.

Researchers discovered that almost 45% of individuals can accurately replicate the pitch of a song stuck in their head, while 69% can come within one semitone of the original song.

A Mississippi fossil hunter discovered a 7-foot-long intact Columbian mammoth tusk in a creek embankment, an extremely rare find, officials say.

THE ROTATOR,
FEEL GOOD FRIDAY,

An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter led 16 hikers to safety through smoke and ash as wildfires threatened Jasper National Park, navigating treacherous terrain for four hours.

A Welsh woman gave birth in a cinema lobby. The newborn daughter was granted a lifetime of free movies.

A large desert tortoise escaped from an Arizona ostrich ranch and attempted to cross an interstate 3 miles away before being rescued by authorities and returned safely.

ET CETERA,

Gena Rowlands, known for her starring roles in “The Notebook” and “A Woman Under the Influence,” died Wednesday at age 94. She won four Emmys and two Oscar nominations during her career.

Hurricane Ernesto strengthened to 85 mph winds Thursday, moving toward Bermuda after leaving 730,000 without power in Puerto Rico.

Previously unseen Jack the Ripper case files from Inspector Joseph Henry Helson were made public Wednesday, 136 years after the murders.

Newly rolled out Waymo robotaxis in San Francisco have been gathering in droves to honk at each other all night in a parking lot, disturbing nearby residents.

Daily Quote,

“This house is clean. Seriously, it is!”

— Real estate listing describing the condition of the infamous house from the 1982 horror classic Poltergeist.

And thats the news for today.

And Now, A word From one of Our Sponsors,

Before we go let me tell you about one of the books found on my Bookstore,

Go to https:// payhip.com/ Christian NonFiction eBookStore then scroll down and click on Treasury of David.

This work was first published in weekly installments over a twenty-year span in the London Metropolitan Tabernacle’s periodical, The Sword and the Trowel.

Completed sections were released volume by volume, until the seventh and final volume was released in 1885. Within a decade more than 120,000 sets had been sold. The Treasury of David is a superb literary achievement. Eric Hayden, pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle a century after Spurgeon’s ministry began there, calls this work “Spurgeon’s magnum opus.” Spurgeon’s wife said that if Spurgeon had never written any other work, this would have been a permanent literary memorial.