Verizon's 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) finds that exploits are now involved in 31% of initial access for breaches, while patching lags too far behind the bad guys.

Discussion | Link

The TSA has come up with new ways to try to reduce airport congestion after two government shutdowns strained the system. ATL The TSA is testing off-site screening and private security after two government shutdowns. These signal the Trump Administration's broader leverage of private companies in aviation. Critics warn that privatization could introduce new security risks. The Transportation Security Administration is rethinking airport security after two government shutdowns recently wreaked havoc across the nation. One new initiative, TSA Gold+, aims to shift day-to-day security operations to private contractors without increasing airport costs. Another trial, launching in June, will allow some Boston airport passengers to clear security 25 miles away, then ride a bus to the airport for a fee, where they will be dropped off at their gates. It relies on the transport company Landline to keep the bus secure for the often over one-hour drive. Both initiatives have the same goal: Make airport security less of a headache for everyone and rely more on private companies to do it. It's not a new stance from the Trump Administration — privatization of aviation systems has been a campaign promise, with President Donald Trump saying he believes fully privatizing them while maintaining government oversight would save money, improve efficiency, and enhance safety. The US has been experimenting with privatization for years, primarily through the TSA's Screening Partnership Program. This uses contracted security officials to screen passengers and baggage at 20 airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City, as well as several smaller regional airports. The benefit of this became apparent in late 2025 and early 2026, when thousands of federal TSA officers worked without pay during two government shutdowns after Congress failed to reach funding deals. Staffing thinned as demoralized workers called out or quit, stretching security lines for hours with little to no notice. San Francisco's private security, by contrast, saw minimal disruptions. Passengers at Houston Hobby Airport experienced TSA wait times up to three hours during the partial government shutdown. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images With Gold+, officials want to make the Screening Partnership Program a reality nationwide, shifting not just physical screening duties but also equipment to contractors whose budgets don't rely on Congress. "The administration wants a larger private influence for airport security," Sheldon Jacobson, a computer science professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who helped regulators develop TSA PreCheck, told Business Insider. "It all sounds good, with TSA setting the standards and airports implementing them. If the lessons learned are widely shared, there can be some benefits." However, opponents warn that privatizing airport security could result in the loss of thousands of TSA jobs, lower pay, weakened worker protections, increased turnover, and potentially pressure companies to prioritize profits over safety. The TSA employs roughly 50,000 security officers who start at about $40,000 annually. The average pay ranges from $60,000 to $75,000, with higher-cost-of-living cities paying more. Experienced TSOs with years on the job and strong performance can advance into analytical and supervisory roles that make six figures. The Boston bus experiment, limited to Delta and JetBlue passengers for now, takes a different approach to involving private companies in airport operations — and the unusual idea comes with its own risks. The bus costs $9 per adult, while children 17 and under are free, and it's available only for Delta and JetBlue flights between 5:30 am and 4 pm. The ride can take 20 minutes to over an hour, depending on traffic. Massachusetts Port Authority TSA officers still conduct screening, but Landline handles the trip to the airport, with checked bags stored underneath the bus while passengers keep carry-ons and personal items with them. If Gold+ succeeds as officials expect, it could open the door to more remote screening setups paired with private shuttle buses. Jacobson said privatization can work "so long as the standards for [private] employees are well-defined and the training is rigorous," but the pilot bus program raises a separate concern: maintaining airport-style security outside the airport itself. A Landline spokesperson told Business Insider that the company "meets the high security standards set by TSA and DHS." The TSA said there will be a "multi-layered screening of passengers." But Jacobson said there are many uncontrollable factors on that trip to Logan — which will drive on public roads for sometimes more than an hour — pointing to the heightened risks when airport security processes depend on a separate operator outside the TSA-controlled environment. For instance, if the bus were involved in an accident or someone aboard got sick, that could compromise security and require a rescreening, which could cause travelers to miss their flight. "I don't see the motivation in terms of convenience; people still have to park at the remote terminal, clear TSA, and get on a bus," Jacobson said. "The question is, will this now be a weak spot?" Read the original article on Business Insider

FBI will pay vendors to help it track and search for vehicles nationwide.

Discussion | Link

YellowKey, GreenPlasma, and MiniPlasma add to the growing list of vulnerabilities a security researcher disclosed over the past six weeks.

In many organizations, data monitoring is still a manual, repetitive routine: open...

It's never too late to become a hero.

<p><strong>Release:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/datasette/datasette-llm-accountant/releases/tag/0.1a4">datasette-llm-accountant 0.1a4</a></p> <blockquote> <ul> <li>Fixed bug tracking chains of responses. Refs <a href="https://github.com/datasette/datasette-llm/issues/7">datasette-llm#7</a></li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/datasette">datasette</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/llm">llm</a></p>

"How in the hell do I get more science into space? That is my goal."

<p><strong>Release:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/simonw/llm-gemini/releases/tag/0.32a0">llm-gemini 0.32a0</a></p> <blockquote> <ul> <li>Compatible with <code>llm&gt;=0.32a0</code> alpha - adds the ability to stream reasoning tokens.</li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/llm">llm</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/gemini">gemini</a></p>

President Donald Trump Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images The DOJ's settlement of Trump's lawsuit related to his leaked tax returns includes a sweeping pledge, POLITICO reports. The IRS is "forever barred" from pursuing "examinations" of Trump, "related or affiliated individuals," and related businesses. The waiver specifically encompasses "tax returns filed before the effective date" of the settlement, which was Monday. The Justice Department on Tuesday expanded the just-announced settlement of President Donald Trump's lawsuit over the leaking of his tax returns to include a pledge that the IRS will no longer pursue any claims it may have against Trump, his family members and his companies over unpaid taxes. The nine-page settlement agreement DOJ released Monday, setting up a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of alleged weaponization of law enforcement, did not mention any resolution of disputes over Trump's tax returns, which he has repeatedly claimed were under protracted audits by the IRS. However, a one-page document posted on the DOJ website early Tuesday includes a sweeping release under which the IRS is "forever barred and precluded" from pursuing "examinations" of Trump, "related or affiliated individuals," and related trusts and businesses. The waiver specifically encompasses "tax returns filed before the effective date" of the settlement, which was Monday. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed the addendum, dated Tuesday. It does not bear the signature of any representative of the IRS or any current Trump lawyers. Metadata attached to the document indicates it was prepared or scanned at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday. Blanche did not sign the original settlement agreement, which was signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, IRS CEO Frank Bisignano and Trump attorney Daniel Epstein. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on why the waiver wasn't included in the agreement released Monday and why it isn't signed by the same people. John Koskinen, the former IRS commissioner from 2013 to 2017, said the expanded settlement set a "terrible precedent" that could effectively generate a windfall for Trump."It makes you wonder what the President has to hide in those tax returns. He's apparently been actively trading in the stock market and, since he knows a lot more about situations than the average investor, he's probably generated significant taxable earnings," he said in an emailed statement. "Not auditing his returns is the same as giving him an easy way to, in effect, receive money from the government." Danny Werfel, the former IRS commissioner from 2023 to 2025, said he was "unaware of a single precedent where the IRS has agreed in advance to permanently forgo examination of previously filed tax returns for a specific person or business." Press reports in advance of the settlement indicated that a potential deal might include an agreement by the government to drop all audits of Trump-related returns and perhaps even to refrain from future audits. Blanche spent more than two hours Tuesday testifying before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. He faced numerous skeptical questions about the settlement and the related "Anti-Weaponization Fund," but was not asked about the impact of the deal on Trump's outstanding tax issues. Following an announcement Tuesday on an antitrust prosecution, Woodward defended the settlement with Trump and the creation of the fund. "I already have the authority to settle any claim that is brought against the United States of America," Woodward told reporters at DOJ headquarters. "I frankly think that we should be ecstatic about the idea that we're going to inject more accountability into the process, as opposed to having just one person sign off on settlements." "I think that it's way, way, way too early for us to rush to judgment on whether this was a good or a bad idea, to describe it as a slush fund, or really even to criticize it," Woodward added. As he left the press conference, Woodward did not respond to a question about the addendum released Tuesday ending all pending tax audits of the president and his companies. This story originally ran in POLITICO and appears on Business Insider through the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network. The network publishes major stories from the Axel Springer network of publications, a worldwide group of news outlets that includes Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider

A group of Democratic states sued President Donald Trump's Education Department over its student-loan borrowing caps. Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images A group of Democratic-led states sued the Education Department over new student-loan borrowing caps. The lawsuit said that the higher borrowing cap for professional students is an overreach of authority. The Trump administration said the caps have already led some schools to lower their tuition. President Donald Trump's student-loan repayment overhaul has been hit with a fresh lawsuit. On Tuesday, 25 Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education and its leader, Linda McMahon, saying that the borrowing caps in the Trump's "big beautiful" spending legislation exceeded the department's authority and were outside the realm of what Congress intended. Trump's legislation, which will go into effect July 1, places a $100,000 lifetime borrowing cap on graduate students, and a $200,000 cap on "professional" degree students. It also specified a list of 11 programs that meet the definition of "professional," including medicine, dentistry, and law, but not advanced nursing degrees. The lawsuit said that the department's definition of professional is too narrow and risks worsening the healthcare worker shortage. It will also drive some students to private lending, which tends to be costlier, the lawsuit said. The suit asks the court to overturn the professional degree definition and expand access to borrowing. "You should not have to be wealthy to serve your community as a nurse, physical therapist, or physician assistant," said Letitia James, New York's attorney general, in a statement. "Higher education is expensive, and our health care system is already under immense strain. This rule will shut talented people out of critical professions and leave communities with fewer health care providers they desperately need." In response to the lawsuit, Undersecretary of Education Nicholas Kent said in a statement that "after decades of unchecked student loan borrowing that gave schools no reason to control costs, these commonsense loan caps — created by Congress — are already incentivizing colleges and universities to lower tuition." The department cited the University of California Irvine, which announced that it cut its tuition for an advanced business degree in response to the new borrowing caps. "Clearly, these Democratic governors and attorneys general are more concerned about institutions' bottom-line rather than American students and families' ability to access affordable postsecondary education," Kent said. The exclusion of nursing programs has been a central focus for lawmakers across the aisle. Also on Tuesday, a bipartisan pair of senators introduced a bill to include advanced nursing degrees in the department's "professional" definition, saying that nurses should not face limited federal financing. Read the original article on Business Insider

OpenAI for Singapore launches a multi-year AI partnership to expand deployment, build local talent, and support businesses and public services with AI.

<p><strong>Release:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/datasette/datasette-llm/releases/tag/0.1a8">datasette-llm 0.1a8</a></p> <blockquote> <ul> <li>Fix for bug where <code>llm_prompt_context()</code> hook did not fully collect chains of responses. #7</li> </ul> </blockquote>

Discussion | Link

Discussion | Link

Listen to the session or watch below Elon Musk lost his suit against OpenAI, in which he alleged CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman had deceived him over the company’s non-profit status. Watch as AI reporter and attorney Michelle Kim, who covered the trial for MIT Technology Review, joins in conversation with editor in…

Spotify temporarily changed its app icon to a green disco ball, and people seem to hate it. Yana Iskayeva/Getty Images Spotify created a temporary new app icon for its 20th anniversary. Everyone seems to hate it because it's ugly! And yet … it's sure been an effective promotion. Everyone hates Spotify's new disco ball app icon. The sentiment is nearly universal, and I can see why. The bright green circle of Spotify's logo is now an emerald green disco ball with a light outer ring. If you know it's supposed to be a disco ball, this makes sense, but it also looks like a blurry version of the regular logo, as if someone made a knockoff of the Spotify app. It's a mess. But so what? It worked. Spotify had to go to work on X, replying to people's angry tweets about how bad its logo was, letting people with their pitchforks out know it was just a temporary change. Alright, we know glitter is not for everyone. Our temp glow up ends soon. Your regularly scheduled Spotify icon returns next week. — Spotify (@Spotify) May 17, 2026 As I said, the new icon is temporary — it's not Spotify's permanent new logo. It's changed to celebrate Spotify's 20th anniversary. Along with the temporary icon, there's also an experience for users inside the app, similar to the popular year-end Spotify Wrapped, that shows users some of their earliest streams and most frequently listened to songs and artists of all time. (One aside: As a parent, my favorites — just like each year's disappointing Wrapped — were all things requested ad nauseam by my kids rather than a reflection of my own tastes.) Spotify wants you to notice the 20th-anniversary features for the same reasons it's happy that Wrapped is such a hit. It fosters loyalty among users. It makes them appreciate that they have a long history there — warm, fuzzy nostalgia for their favorite older songs, while reminding them that they really shouldn't switch to Apple Music or a competitor. Think of all the old data you'd lose! Wrapped has also been a great advertisement for Spotify — people love posting screenshots of their Wrapped on social media, and they happily did the same for their 20th-anniversary content, showing off the earliest songs they listened to. (Never mind that most users haven't actually had Spotify for 20 years. Although it was founded in 2006 in Sweden, it wasn't available in the US until 2011.) Logos spark strong feelings There is often a brief period of customer disgust when a company changes its logo — especially if it had been something as well known as the Spotify logo. I'm reminded of the wailing and gnashing of teeth when the Gap changed its logo (and eventually changed it back); or the weird, loopy, slightly sexualized mark for Airbnb; or — shudder — Jaguar's redesign of … well, everything. And of course, god help us all when Cracker Barrel attempted a rebrand. Usually, people get over it, and eventually the old logos start to look outdated and weird. In Spotify's case, it was just a temporary gimmick. It was effective at making you look, opening the app, and noticing the anniversary features. It got you! Read the original article on Business Insider

Google is sprucing up its Gemini models, revamping search, and enabling AI agents in everything. There are also some spiffy new smart glasses coming this fall.