
Congress failed to protect stimulus checks from private debt collectors. Some states are stepping up
CNN
At least six states are moving to shield the most recent round of stimulus payments from private debt collectors after Congress failed to exempt the money from garnishment -- though it did for an earlier round of payments that were approved in December.
Governors in Maryland, New Jersey and Washington as well as state attorneys general in Massachusetts, Nebraska and New York have taken action in the past few weeks to make sure their most vulnerable residents will receive their money, which can amount to up to $1,400 per person.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.

Authorities in Colombia are dealing with increasingly sophisticated criminals, who use advanced tech to produce and conceal the drugs they hope to export around the world. But police and the military are fighting back, using AI to flag suspicious passengers, cargo and mail - alongside more conventional air and sea patrols. CNN’s Isa Soares gets an inside look at Bogotá’s war on drugs.










