NEWS ROUNDUP: Cyber attack in Texas, hate crime in Ohio and Hong Kong protests

Here are some important stories you may have missed from Texas, the United States and around the world.

Texas:

Hunt for highway shooter: Aug. 8 on I-10 a gunman left his vehicle during rush hour traffic and killed two people in Houston. The next day Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted the description of the gunman and that there “is a high probability the murders are drug-related.” The gunman is still at large.

Harris County bail reform: The Harris County Commissioners Court approved historic bail reforms that are intended to keep non-violent people out of jail that can not afford bail. Officials say under the new system 85% of people arrested on misdemeanors will be released on personal bonds and avoid jail time while awaiting court. Though the reforms have mixed-positive support, some still have concerns over details. On Sept. 5, federal judge Lee Rosenthal rejected legal objections to the aspects only covering misdemeanors and in October final objections will be heard.

22 Texas cities face cyber attacks: Aug. 16 a coordinated cyberattack linked to ransomware hit 22 Texas city government systems. The attacks encrypt information and only allow access back to users after a ransom is paid. As of Aug. 20, a quarter of these systems were in a recovery process and the cities’ took to Facebook to keep citizens updated. The attacks have been on the rise as other states’ local governments and public hospitals have experienced similar attacks. FBI numbers show more than 1,400 ransomware attacks were reported in 2018 and victims were paying upwards $3.6 million to hackers. Experts suggest the number is higher citing companies underreport for fear of public scrutiny or backlash.

United States:

Hundreds of immigrants arrested by ICE in Mississippi: On Aug. 7, an immigration raid at Koch Foods Inc. in Morton, Mississippi of over 600 agents led to the detainment of 680 undocumented immigrants. This raid was one of three mass arrests at food processing plants in Mississippi in early August. The raids left dozens of children waiting for their parents to return home or pick them up on their first week of school. Roughly 300 immigrants were later released, some for humanitarian concerns, and are scheduled to attend court on assigned dates. Local churches and community centers are reaching out to families to help with finances and food. Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE) have expanded contracts with for-profit, private prisons to assist in detainment. Koch Foods claims that the raid was illegal and evidence gathered can not be used against the company.

Ohio hate crime: A biracial couple in Sterling, Ohio found their house exploded early August. Because they were staying at a hotel awaiting a gas leak fix, the couple had not been home at the time. With the utilities, including gas, shut off for weeks and racial slurs sprayed on the property, the police investigated the explosion as a hate crime. 

Sept. 4, Samual Whitt pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. Prosecutors stated that Whitt had broken into the home in 2016 spraying racial epithets on the walls and pouring quick drying cement into the pipes.

Water filters fail to stop lead contamination: Newark, the largest city in New Jersey, advised residents to only drink bottled water as lead-pipes have contaminated water systems. In 2017, 10% of homes in Newark exceeded “federal action levels” of lead in their water. Legal battles resulted in the city passing out water filters to residents in 2018. Aug. 9 the Environmental Protections Agency sent a letter to city officials warning the filters were not reliable. Newark is requesting a $120 million dollar loan to replace the 18,000 service lines with the total estimated cost is expected to be over $150 million dollars. An estimated 15,000 homes are affected and replacing the lead pipes would cost of $10,000 per house.

International:

American deported to Iraq and dies: Jimmy Aldaoud was deported to Iraq earlier this year as a result immigration crackdowns of the Trump administration and died within two months. Born in a Greece refugee camp and raised in the United States, the 41 year old man was deported despite not knowing the language and not having been to Iraq. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Aldaoud was ordered to leave twice for crime and years of violent behavior. When defending his case the American Civil Liberties Union reported that his mental capacity and status as an American Catholic would lead to persecution in the ISIS controlled region. His body was returned to his family in the US for burial later in August.

Hong Kong protests:  Citizens of Hong Kong continued the months-long protest that began June 9 over a proposed extradition bill. The protest started peacefully and in Hong Kong alone, but have since expanded to places around the world. In many cases, these protests have turned violent as pro-China activists are now involved. The protest shut down traffic in many locations including Hong Kong’s international airport on Aug. 12. This resulted in hundreds of flights being canceled.

Officials in China and Hong Kong have condemned the violence from the protests saying it showed signs of terrorism. Social media sites found that a thousand of bot accounts had been created calling the Hong Kong protesters terrorists rioting and being funded by the CIA. 

On the bright side: Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teen climate activist who made headlines last year for protesting climate change outside of Swedish Parliament, sailed across the ocean to attend climate change meetings, arrived in New York on Aug. 28. The 15-day sea voyage on a zero-emissions sailboat was taken as a symbol of her commitment to lower her carbon footprint. During her visit, led the youth climate strike of an estimated 4 million people across 150 countries on Aug. 20 and spoke at the UN Climate Action Summit on Sept. 23 in New York City. She is set to attend the COP 25 Dec. 2 – 13 in Santiago, Chile.