FBI agent: Russia could hack Minnesota companies

For KSTP-TV Jay Kolls says, “The Ukraine war is half a world away, but a high-ranking FBI agent told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the effects could be hitting much closer to home than you think. FBI agent Michael Paul told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS in a one-on-one interview three weeks ago that ‘Russia is using that (the Ukraine war) as sort of an impetus to, again, conduct attacks on entities in the United States.’ Paul made that statement, and others, on Aug. 3 when he was the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Minneapolis Field Office. He has since been promoted to Assistant Director of the Operational Technology Division at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. Paul said Russia would cast a wide net across the U.S. looking for potential cyber financial targets, and some of those could end up being individuals, corporations, or small businesses. They could also end up snaring Minnesota companies, or individuals, in that wide net with hopes of creating chaos, using up resources, and possibly using any stolen money for the war or other agendas.”

An MPR News story by Tom Crann and Megan Burks says, “Minneapolis City Council members heard from the public last week about a draft policy on police drones. State law already permits law enforcement to use the unmanned aerial vehicles, but departments need to hold a public hearing before establishing a drone program. After the hearing, Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley said she’d like to see additional oversight of the Minneapolis Police Department’s use of drones.” 

For CNBC Goh Chiew Tong says, “Fatigue, brain fog, heart palpitations and breathing difficulties. Those are just some of the common symptoms of ‘long COVID’ that can affect people in the long term after recovery from infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  However, according to Dr. Greg Vanichkachorn, director of the Mayo Clinic’s COVID Activity Rehabilitation Program, symptoms are only ‘half of the picture,’ … CNBC Make It finds out what you should and shouldn’t eat if you think you have long COVID.   1. Mediterranean diet  Vanichkachorn and (Dr. Joan Salge Blake, Boston University’s clinical professor of nutrition) both emphasized the importance of a balanced diet, which they say will be beneficial for general health — specifically, a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in vegetables, fruits, olive oil, nuts and whole grains. Fruits and vegetables, in particular, are ‘powerhouses’ when it comes to essential vitamins and minerals, said Blake.”

At Politico, Marianne Levine and Holly Otterbein write, “The most endangered Senate Republican incumbent — who’s trailing his reelection foe in one of the most closely divided states in the country — could face a tough vote just weeks out from Election Day on whether to enshrine same-sex marriage into law. As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer moves closer to a vote that would put Sen. Ron Johnson on defense in the home stretch of the midterms, the Wisconsin conservative is suddenly under the microscope on a social issue that he’s rarely focused on during his decade-plus in office. But it’s far from clear whether he’ll take that baby step to the center ahead of a November contest against Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who’s opened a slight lead in public polls.”

Also … at NBC News Sahil Kapur reports, “In major Senate and House races across the country, GOP candidates have called for cutting long-term Social Security spending to tackle inflation and resolve the program’s finances. Democrats are trying to make them pay a political price, arguing that the same Republicans created a budget hole by cutting taxes for top earners. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, said at a recent campaign stop that Social Security ‘was set up improperly’ and that it would have been better to invest the money in the stock market. Earlier, Johnson told a radio show that Social Security and Medicare should be axed as ‘mandatory’ programs and be subject to ‘discretionary’ spending, meaning Congress would have to renew them yearly or they’d end.”

Also at KSTP: “The Minneapolis Police Department is investigating what they say is now a homicide in the city’s Como neighborhood. … Minneapolis Police Department spokesman Officer Garrett Parten said a man in his 30s was found with life-threatening gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital, where he later died. Investigators say the man and a woman got into an argument that ‘erupted into gunfire.’ The two knew each other, but the exact nature of their relationship was unclear.”

For Yahoo! Sports Logan Newman says, “After two extremely lopsided shutout losses, a Wisconsin high school announced it will be canceling the majority of the remaining games on the varsity schedule. Menominee Indian (Keshena, Wisc.) lost its Week 1 game 76-0 and then its second game 58-0. It did not publicly provide reasons for the decision, according to WJFW and WAOW. The team only has 22 players, according to WAOW, so it is reasonable to speculate that player safety may be a factor. Players can play both sides of the ball, as many do throughout the country, but a team this small leaves minimal room for injuries or other absences. That concern swells if the opponent physically dominates the games, as was likely the case in these first two games that resulted in a combined score of 134-0.”

In the Sioux Falls Argus Leader Morgan Matzen reports, “Administrators at a South Dakota high school told 14-year-old freshman Braxton Schafer’s parents on Friday that he must cut his hair or leave the school. Braxton, who is Black, wears his hair in traditional African twists known as locs. The length of his hair hasn’t been an issue before, his mother Toni Schafer told The Argus Leader on Sunday. He has been in the Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools system since sixth grade, first attending St. Mary for sixth grade, then grades seven and eight at the junior high school. The current uniform code specifies that boys’ hair length must be above the collar.”

For Racket.com Em Cassel tells us, “The Big Lebowski + Costume Party The Parkway Theater. ‘Now this a-here story I’m about to unfold took place back in the early ’90s — just about the time of our conflict with Sad’m and the I-raqis. I only mention it because sometimes there’s a man — I won’t say a hero, ’cause, what’s a hero? But sometimes, there’s a man — and I’m talkin’ about the ‘Dude’ here. … But sometimes there’s a man, sometimes, there’s a man. Wow, lost my train of thought here. But, aw, hell. I’ve done introduced him enough.” (With pre-movie costume contest featuring a killer grand prize: The Big Lebowski Jesus Figurine with accompanying bowling bag). [Thursday, Sept. 1].