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Lawsuit Alleges Massive SSN Leak

Lawsuit Alleges Massive SSN Leak

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
August 16, 2024

Good Friday morning. Sometimes things just get out of hand at Applebee's. Have a great weekend!

In Today’s Brief

California: ‘Doomsday fish’
Lukashenko: Peace call
VP debate: Done deal
Nasdaq: Surge continues
USMNT: New coach

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Identity crisis

Hackers may have gotten their hands on millions of Social Security numbers.

The news: A class-action lawsuit filed in Florida claims National Public Data's database was compromised in April. The suit alleges USDoD, a hacking group, placed the database on the dark web. NPD is a background check company that can access public records; the filing said its database held close to 3B personal records of U.S., UK and Canadian citizens.
What it means: A cybersecurity firm has created an online tool where people can supposedly see if they are affected. An industry expert told CBS that every person with a SSN may have been impacted. NPD has not commented publicly.
Big picture: There are only about 330M people in the U.S. (plus roughly 110M more in Canada and the UK) so many of these allegedly hacked records would likely be duplicates. But, if the lawsuit is accurate, it is still a major issue. Experts suggest people proactively take steps to protect their identity, bank accounts, credit cards and more.

2) Abuse of trust

Five people have been charged in connection to late Friends star Matthew Perry's death last year.

Catch up: The actor died in late October at his Los Angeles home after being found unresponsive in a hot tub. An autopsy found that Perry, who battled addiction and depression, died from "acute effects of ketamine," an anesthetic that can be used as a therapeutic under medical care, but is also often abused.
Current day: The Department of Justice hit Perry's personal assistant, two doctors, an alleged drug deal and an acquintance with a slew of charges. DOJ said Kenneth Iwamasa, the assistant, injected Perry with ketamine the day he died. Three of the five suspects have already pleaded guilty.
Big picture: Prosecutors said the charged took advantage of Perry's addiction and abused their positions of trust in his life to enrich themselves, as well as trying to cover up their activities after his death.

3) Take two

Key leaders are suggesting a new approach in Venezuela.

The news: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro have pitched a new election in the South American nation with international observers present. President Joe Biden then said he would support such a move, although the White House later walked his comments back.
Non-starter: President Nicolas Maduro declared victory after the contested July 28 vote despite clear evidence that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won decisively. The dictator, his ruling party and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado have all rejected the idea of another vote.
Big picture: Regional stances on the situation vary. Argentina considers Gonzalez the Venezuelan president-elect while Lula only says he has not accepted Maduro's victory claim. The U.S. says Gonzalez appears to have won, but has not declared him the winner. And Maduro continues to enjoy the support of his country's military, which greatly complicates the path forward.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

Oceangoers spotted a rare oarfish near San Diego's La Jolla Cove. The so-called "doomsday fish" has only been observed 20 times in the last 120 years; the animals have surfaced before natural disasters in the past (More)
A Detroit judge has been removed from the bench for "necessary training" after an incident with a teenager. Judge Kenneth King put a 15-year-old girl in handcuffs and prisoner clothing after she fell asleep in court while on a field trip (More)
Several Florida businesses were attacked over their perceived support of Israel. A Jordanian national made several threats of mass violence and sabotaged a solar energy field near Orlando, causing $700K in damage; he also sent threatening letters and committed other vandalism (More)

World News

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The dictator is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin; his comments may be a trial balloon from the Kremlin amid the ongoing Ukrainian incursion (More)
New Zealand has agreed to extradite internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom to the U.S. The Megaupload founder has been fighting the request for over a decade; he faces a slew of federal charges, including copyright infringement and racketeering (More)
At least 1.4M Afghani girls have been denied secondary education since the Taliban returned to power. A United Nations report concluded the regime has also greatly reduced access to overall primary education; 2.5M girls are denied educational rights in total (More)

Campaign News

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance has agreed to an Oct. 1 vice presidential debate against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on CBS. Vice President Harris' campaign said she will agree to an October debate if former President Trump shows at the Sept. 10 debate on ABC (More |More)
President Biden made his first appearance with Harris since ending his re-election bid. They announced a Medicare price negotiations deal at an event in Maryland (More)
Trump has re-hired Corey Lewandowski, who served as his original campaign manager in 2016. The controversial operative is one of several ex-Trump staffers set to join the current campaign (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The Nasdaq was up over 400 points to cap its sixth straight winning day (Dow +1.39%, Nasdaq +2.34%, S&P 500 +1.61%).
Former Warner Music Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr. will reportedly make a bid for Paramount Global. The entertainment giant has already agreed to a deal with Skydance Media, but the agreement included a 45-day window to pursue a better offer; Bronfman could also invest in Paramount (More)
Lockheed Martin will buy satellite products maker Terran Orbital for $450M. The defense contractor had offered $600M for the company earlier this year before withdrawing the bid; Lockheed will also pay off debt (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Mauricio Pochettino will be the next head coach of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team. The Argentine manager previously led Tottenham Hotspur to the Champions League final and won a Ligue 1 title at Paris Saint-Germain (More)
Peter Marshall died at 98. The actor and singer performed on Broadway before hosting The Hollywood Squares for 16 years, winning four Daytime Emmy Awards; he hosted other game shows as well (More)
The English Premier League season kicks off today. Manchester City is bidding for an unprecedented fifth straight championship; rival Manchester United will host Fulham this afternoon in the opening match (More)

Quick Hitters

Real Hero: A bus driver in Colorado noticed smoke coming from his dashboard and immediately pulled over, evacuating the 14 kids on board. The entire bus was ablaze moments later.
Good Deal: A woman went into labor at a movie theater in Wales, and her baby girl was not willing to wait for the ambulance. The newborn now has free tickets for life.
History Lesson: There have been several efforts to create new states in U.S. history. One of the lesser-known attempts: Taking parts of Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming to create Absaroka during the Great Depression.
Easy Money: A Canadian advertising firm was tasked with promoting 3M's unbreakable glass. It put $3M inside a box at a bus shelter and asked the public to try to take it. No one did.
Life Hack: Groceries remain expensive, even as inflation cools. Here are some tips to avoid breaking the bank at the supermarket.

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