Tootfinder

In California, survivors of solitary confinement
who have spent years trying to seriously limit the practice are facing yet another setback
as state prison officials unwind the minor reforms made in recent years. 
Those reforms, which had reduced the number of rule violations that could make someone eligible for isolation and increased out-of-cell time for people in solitary,
were part of a compromise Governor Gavin Newsom proposed after his 2022 veto of the Mandela A…

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back for Solitary Reforms in California - Bolts
California officials dial back the minor reforms they've made to isolation in prison, three years after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation to rein in solitary confinement.

'Such is the anger at their decision [to block housing reforms], the former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau predicted that when Puigdemont finally returns from exile “he will have problems walking the streets of Catalonia.”'
How Catalan conservatives caused Spanish elections by repeating the SNP's historic error to bring down Callaghan

How Catalan conservatives caused Spanish elections by repeating the SNP's historic error to bring down Callaghan
Luke James When the Labour government led by Cardiff MP James Callaghan lost a vote of confidence by a single vote, the Scottish National Party paid a heavy price for their decision to vote against the government. Not only did they lose nine of their eleven seats in the election which followed, but they were […]

And here is one of the reasons I'm voting #NoOnPropD, #NoOnPropF, #NoOnPropE.
The #OpenGov contracting…

Clean Up City Hall reforms draw $12.6 million
Hugely outspent opponents say democracy is on the line.

And here is one of the reasons I'm voting #NoOnPropD, #NoOnPropF, #NoOnPropE.
The #OpenGov contracting…

Clean Up City Hall reforms draw $12.6 million
Hugely outspent opponents say democracy is on the line.

Before you leave for the weekend, check out today's Metacurity for a rundown of the varied reactions to Trump's private cyber offensive memo, along with the other critical infosec developments you should know, including
-- AI agents go to war with each other,
-- Apple warns users of mercenary spyware attacks,
-- Litigant hides AI prompt injection in court filing,
-- UK transplant patients’ data sent over unencrypted pagers,
-- Trezor breach exposes nearly 14,000 customers,
-- Cl0p claims data theft from nearly 50 companies,
-- Flock’s privacy reforms fail to quiet critics,
-- Insider gets two years for $2.5 million extortion plot,
-- Akira ransomware attack sabotages itself,
-- Chinese espionage hackers moonlight in crypto fraud,
-- RingCentral breach exposes 1.6 million people,
-- Ukraine shuts down 94 scam call centers,
-- Attackers pounce on GeoServer zero-day,
-- TuLotero hack exposes IDs and selfies of 100,000 users,
-- South Korean lawmaker pushes back on Coupang criticism,
-- OpenAI reckons with security culture after Hugging Face hack,
-- Columbus restores crime map two years after cyberattack,
-- Pope Leo talks AI with US lawmakers,
-- Chinese competition drives down US AI prices,
-- OpenAI wants to remember everything you do
https://www.metacurity.com/trumps-private-cyber-offensive-wins-support-and-plenty-of-alarm/

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubled down Monday on pushing through unpopular reforms to Europe’s largest economy
after a far-right party surged to a landslide victory in a regional election, with a very good chance of forming the first far-right state government since the Nazi era.
Merz said his center-right Christian Democratic Union was “deeply shocked”
by what he called “the most serious election defeat that the CDU has had for years, for decades.”
But he indi…

German chancellor under pressure after AfD win in state polls
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under pressure after the far-right Alternative Germany (AfD) party achieved a significant victory in a regional election. AfD nearly secured a majority in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, marking a potential shift for Germany, which has avoided far-right leadership since the Nazi era. Merz, who leads the center-right Christian Democrats, had promised to weaken AfD but failed. The victory complicates Germany's political landscape amid challenges like Russia's aggressi…

OpenAI apologizes for its AI models breaching Australian government websites, pledges cyber defense funding, and plans to form a task force as part of reforms (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-29/openai-to…

The President of Spain calls out the US for its assaults on the UN and other international bodies, and calls for needed reforms to defend against reactionaries. Like the US.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpIuu1_8WxY

The fascist Vox, Tory PP and those dreadful rightwing Catalan nationalists, Junts, blocked long overdue reforms that would have protected tenants, because of course, property owners must be free to ramp up rents, evict at will, all in the pursuit of profits.

Spain’s Sšnchez calls snap election amid national housing crisis – Europe live

Spain’s Sánchez to hold press conference amid speculation over early election – Europe live
PM may call a vote to address national housing crisis after parliament rejected two of his government’s emergency relief measures

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury …
— Amendment V, United States Constitution
Two hundred and fifty years since the nation’s founding, and almost as many since the adoption of the Bill of Rights,
the role of the grand jury in the American criminal justice system continues to spark debate.
Recently, scrutiny of the grand jury and renewed calls to strengthen it as a bulwark…

Trust, But Verify: Three Grand Jury Reforms to Hold the Government Accountable
Steps should be taken to strengthen grand juries by giving courts and defense counsel more tools to act as a much-needed check on prosecutors.

McMahon Asks US Colleges to Pledge Campus Reforms by End of 2026 (Liam Knox/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-03/mcmahon-asks-colleges-to-pledge-campus-reforms-by-end-of-2026
http://www.memeorandum.com/260803/p27#a260803p27

#GiftLink
"Trump is dismantling or repurposing “almost all of the agencies that were created by the Bush administration to protect us from terrorism,” said John Bellinger III, who was President George W. Bush’s National Security Council legal adviser on Sept. 11, 2001, and helped craft the reforms that followed."
After 9/11, the U.S. built an anti-terror apparatus. Trump is using it at home. - The Washington Post
https://wapo.st/4r3WuWk

#OTD 17 August 1761, William Carey was born in Paulerspury, #Northamptonshire. Sometimes known as the "Father of Modern Missions" despite colonial connotations, Carey is still held in high esteem in India for his promotion of Bengali culture and social reforms. Read more:

"Save Our Schools Arizona" is suing to stop the GOP’s trickery aimed at blocking voucher reforms
HCR2048 uses military families as a Trojan Horse to invalidate the
"Protect Education Act"
-- even if voters overwhelmingly approve it this November

Cuba: The Greatest Transformation Since The Revolution - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung https://www.rosalux.de/en/news/id/55123/cuba-the-greatest-transformation-since-the-revolution
Interesting overview, despite the translation howler.

Cuba: The Greatest Transformation Since The Revolution - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung
Cuba has announced sweeping economic reforms. What will be left of socialism?

Advocates fight proposed Trump Head Start changes
https://thehill.com/homenews/education/6126823-head-start-programs-trump-reforms-hhs/

Head Start fight reaches tipping point as advocates push back against proposed Trump changes (Lexi Lonas Cochran/The Hill)
https://thehill.com/homenews/education/6126823-head-start-programs-trump-reforms-hhs/
http://www.memeorandum.com/261003/p58#a261003p58

California backtracks on so-called
"good-government " policies in divided Trump era
Jessica Millan Patterson, a former state GOP chairwoman, is among those who believe the temporary pause in independent redistricting that voters approved in November will not be temporary.
And she said the top-two primary is a failed experiment.
“Speaking as a Republican, I just don’t feel that it has served us well at all,” she said.
“Not only has it locked us out of…

California backtracks on good-government policies in divided Trump era
In an era of even more bitter divisions in the state and nation, political and governmental reforms face severe threats.

'Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali said: “Once again, the establishment parties are all trying to outdo each other when it comes to who can be the most xenophobic, who can punch down the hardest to the most vulnerable in our country, and who can cut the most support from disabled people."
Campaigners slam Reform’s new war on disabled people | Morning Star

Trust, But Verify: Three Grand Jury Reforms to Hold the Government Accountable
https://www.justsecurity.org/146230/trust-but-verify-three-grand-jury-reforms-to-hold-the-government-accountable/

Mayor Mamdani Announces "OPEN for Small Business," Over 50 Reforms to Slash Red Tape and Increase Support for Small Businesses - NYC Mayor's Office
https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/07/mayor-mamdani-announces--open-for-small-business---over-50-refor