Monday, October 5, 2026

TODAY'S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY'S BEST BLOG POSTS OCTOBER5, 2026

TODAY’S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY’S BEST BLOG POSTS
 OCTOBER 3, 2026
REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER
 USA.gov Voting and Elections 

State-by-state lookup for registration verification, local election offices, and polling guidelines


U.S. News

Politics

  • 2026 Midterm Campaign Rallies: Campaign activity intensified across key battleground states, including high-profile rallies in Ohio and Nebraska, focusing on regional economic conditions and foreign policy.

  • DOJ Press Access and Legal Disputes: The Department of Justice defended administrative media policies against legal challenges brought by national news outlets regarding press access during major trials.

  • Congressional Policy Debates on Daylight Saving Time: Senate lawmakers continued discussions regarding the Sunshine Protection Act and federal time-zone standardization ahead of seasonal clock shifts.

  • Campaign Finance and Super PAC Transparency: State oversight boards in California and the Midwest issued updated filings on political committee disclosure rules ahead of November elections.

World Affairs

  • U.S. Military Strategic Deployment in the Middle East: U.S. forces deployed a third carrier strike group alongside additional naval assets to bolster regional deterrence and secure international shipping lanes.

  • Strait of Hormuz Transit Restrictions: Maritime shipping disruptions persisted through the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining upward pressure on global transit and supply chain operations.

  • Brazilian Presidential Election Campaign: Electoral campaigns reached their final stretch in Brazil, with polling indicating narrow margins between top presidential contenders.

  • Spanish Housing Reform Legislation: Spain’s parliament voted against two core government housing decrees that aimed to limit eviction practices and restrict short-term rental market structures.

US Education

Economy

  • G7 Strategic Oil Reserve Releases: G7 nations announced coordinated emergency energy coordination plans to release crude and diesel stockpiles aimed at stabilizing global fuel prices.

  • Central Bank Interest Rate Adjustments: International central banks, including the Reserve Bank of Australia, adjusted key interest rates to combat persistent inflation trends.

  • Federal Goods and Services Tax Rules: Regulatory updates concerning corporate tax compliance and enforcement frameworks were reviewed by federal finance officials.

  • Corporate Investments in Workforce Retraining: Major technology and logistics firms pledged expanded multi-year funding programs targeting employee tech upskilling and energy-efficiency initiatives.

Technology

  • Federal AI Infrastructure Proposals: Federal agencies evaluated new policy frameworks aimed at organizing government compute access and standardizing security protocols for advanced AI development.

  • Enterprise Software Vulnerabilities and Cyber Defenses: IT security teams deployed critical patches for widespread database software vulnerabilities following recent high-profile administrative data breaches.

  • Autonomous Aviation and Drone Air Traffic Control: Aviation regulators and private developers expanded edge-case testing for autonomous flight control systems in shared commercial airspace.

  • Data Center Energy Grid Integration: Regional power authorities collaborated with cloud providers to establish dedicated energy grids capable of supporting expanding data center demand.

Health

Sports

  • Asian Games 2026 Conclusion: The 2026 Asian Games concluded, with China securing the top position in total medal counts, followed by Japan, South Korea, and India.

  • NFL Regular Season Week 5: NFL teams wrapped up Week 5 matchups with significant shifts in divisional standings across both conferences.

  • Major League Baseball Postseason: MLB Division Series matchups got underway, featuring competitive opening games across both the American and National Leagues.

  • International Soccer Records: Young international talent made historical breakthroughs in international competition, including landmark goalscoring records in youth international play.





Big Education Ape: THE FBI GOT HACKED, AND HONESTLY, SAME: A CYBER SHADE SPECTACULAR https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-fbi-got-hacked-and-honestly-same.html 







Big Education Ape: HOLY TAX DOLLARS! GOD, GUNS & CHARTER SCHOOLS: WELCOME TO AMERICA'S NEWEST CONSTITUTIONAL DUMPSTER FIRE https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/10/holy-tax-dollars-god-guns-charter.html 





Big Education Ape: LOOKING BACK: THE WEEK IN REVIEW 9-27-26 TO 10-3-25 http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/10/looking-back-week-in-review-9-27-26-to.html 






Big Education Ape: TODAY'S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY'S BEST BLOG POSTS OCTOBER 4, 2026 http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/10/todays-top-news-yesterdays-best-blog_01256461426.html 





Big Education Ape: MORNING NEWS UPDATE: OCTOBER 4, 2026 http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/10/morning-news-update-october-4-2026.html 






Curmudgucation     ICYMI: New Adventure Edition (10/4) PETER GREENE https://curmudgucation.substack.com/p/icymi-new-adventure-edition-104 






glen brown: "Americans...have the power to throw the Trump administration out of office and, together, to build a better nation" https://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2026/10/americanshave-power-to-throw-trump.html 





Choosing Democracy: Fascists Oppose Literate People https://choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com/2026/10/fascists-oppose-literate-people.html 






“How Teachers Handle Frustration and Anger”    Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/ 






Schools Matter: School As Fragmentation and Miseducation Weapon http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2026/10/school-as-fragmentation-and.html 






A Birthday Message for Teach For America - Philly's 7th Ward https://phillys7thward.org/2026/10/a-birthday-message-for-teach-for-america/ 






PLEEEZE repost and send out, far and wide | Bill Ayers https://billayers.org/2026/10/04/pleeeze-repost-and-send-out-far-and-wide/ 






Podcast: Navigating Ungrading and Workshop in a Graded World “That said, we are still on a journey together, my students in me, seeking and confronting ways to navigate ungrading and workshop in a graded world.” P.L. Thomas PAUL THOMAS https://paulthomas701128.substack.com/p/podcast-navigating-ungrading-and 




Steve Alfonso Was Sympathetic to Lyon Admin in Texts | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2026/10/04/steve-alfonso-was-sympathetic-to-lyon-admin-in-texts/






The Education Report     Getting it Wrong on Education: Idrees Kahloon of The Atlantic Just Can’t Help Himself Attacks on teachers and traditional public schools fail to address root causes of persistent education challenges ANDY SPEARS https://theeducationreport.substack.com/p/getting-wrong-on-education-idrees 




Seattle Schools Community Forum: This and That, October 4, 2026 https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2026/10/this-and-that-october-4-2026.html?spref=tw 








TRUMP IN THE NEWS TODAY
REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER


The major news stories involving Donald Trump making headlines include:

1. Dispute over Daylight Saving Time and Doxxing Senator Tom Cotton

Donald Trump sparked widespread coverage over a feud with Republican Senator Tom Cotton regarding the Sunshine Protection Act. Trump pushed for permanent Daylight Saving Time, criticizing the twice-yearly clock changes. When Cotton opposed the legislation—arguing that year-round daylight saving would lead to dangerously dark winter mornings for children heading to school—Trump publicly posted Cotton's personal cellphone number online and urged constituents in Arkansas to call him directly.

2. Legal Battles Over White House Press Access

In a court filing submitted by the Department of Justice, the Trump administration defended its decision to restrict or block press access for major outlets including CNN, MS Now, and Politico. The DOJ argued that the administration was within its rights to revoke credentials, claiming the outlets failed to maintain basic standards of professionalism and decorum.

3. Launch of the "Super Intelligence Force"

Trump announced a new national initiative termed the "Super Intelligence Force" intended to bolster the United States' standing in the global artificial intelligence race. Describing AI development as an unprecedented technological shift, Trump framed the program as vital to maintaining American competitive dominance.

4. Campaign Rallies and Midterm Preparations

Heading into the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, Trump continues a series of campaign events and rallies across key states—including scheduled stops in Nebraska and Ohio—to mobilize the Republican base.


How a Bolsonaro Biopic Ended Up at the Center of Brazil’s Presidential Election – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/how-a-bolsonaro-biopic-ended-up-at-the-center-of-brazils-presidential-election/ 

Buttigieg’s midterm blitz is helping him think about his future - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/04/buttigieg-midterms-travel-new-hampshire-01106140 

Apple and Google push states to shield app stores from some lawsuits - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/04/apple-googlestates-app-stores-lawsuits-01105892 

Cornell Case Carries Far-Reaching Implications for Hochul and James - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/nyregion/hochul-james-cornell.html 

After Week of Turmoil at Cornell, a Heavy Cloud Hangs Over Student Life - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/nyregion/cornell-university-campus-students.html 

Trump’s Appearance in Ohio Underscores All the Reasons the GOP Is Unpopular – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/trumps-appearance-in-ohio-underscores-all-the-reasons-the-gop-is-unpopular/ 

Australian ban on new KPMG contracts still leaves room for $38.5M to flow to consulting firm - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/04/australia-kpmg-contract-consulting-01106134 

Trump won’t be in the White House during the next census. But his directives could outlast his presidency. - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/04/donald-trump-2030-census-changes-01104876 

Sam Altman to Decoded: ‘The world should accept some bad things happening’ for the benefits of AI - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/04/sam-altman-decoded-interview-ai-01106217 

Alito says there is ‘concerted effort’ to intimidate Supreme Court - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/04/alito-intimidate-supreme-court-justices-01106191 

Sen. Kennedy bashes Trump for giving out Cotton's phone number - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/04/kennedy-trump-cotton-phone-number-01106142 

Reports of a Plague Outbreak in Russia Follow the Death of a Researcher – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/reports-of-a-lethal-virus-outbreak-in-russia-follow-the-death-of-a-researcher/ 

Flávio Bolsonaro leads Lula as Brazil heads to a runoff - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/04/flavio-bolsonaro-lula-brazil-election-runoff-01106424 



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Sunday, October 4, 2026

THE FBI GOT HACKED, AND HONESTLY, SAME: A CYBER SHADE SPECTACULAR

THE FBI GOT HACKED, AND HONESTLY, SAME: A CYBER SHADE SPECTACULAR


October 2026 — The week America's premier law enforcement agency had to Google "how to recover from embarrassment"

The organization that hunts hackers for a living just became the world's most ironic data breach victim. ShinyHunters — a cybercrime collective so brazen they described hacking the FBI as a marketing campaign — waltzed through a jobs portal, helped themselves to 60,000 employees' most sensitive records, and then had the audacity to not even ask for money. Meanwhile, one of their own is now singing to the feds in Jordan. This is the story of the most chaotic week in federal cybersecurity history, served with a side of institutional shade.

The Breach That Broke the Bureau

Let's set the scene. ShinyHunters, the same crew that has been robbing corporate America blind since 2019, spotted an Oracle PeopleSoft vulnerability in the FBI's jobs portal — FBIJobs.gov — and decided to treat it like an open buffet.

What they walked out with reads less like a data breach and more like a dossier on the entire federal law enforcement apparatus:

  • Full names, addresses, badge numbers, and phone numbers of agents
  • Blood and urine test results from fitness-for-work medical exams — yes, including notes about shellfish allergies and high cholesterol
  • Psychiatric records of bureau personnel
  • Details of a previously secret FBI hacking unit — the Remote Operations Unit — whose existence was barely known publicly
  • Intelligence on agents working Russia, China, and drug cartel cases
  • Records on ~60,000 current and former FBI staff — the group initially thought it was 38,000, then realized it had underestimated its own heist

Internal memos advised FBI staff to assume all employees may have been compromised. Every. Single. One.

Professor Ciaran Martin, former head of the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, called it "as serious as it gets when it comes to data breaches."

"Passwords can be reset if stolen, but medical records cannot — so once this data is out, it stays compromised for good." — Etay Maor, Cato Networks

The Audacity: "It's Just Marketing"

Here's where it gets genuinely unhinged. ShinyHunters issued a statement clarifying they never intended to sell the data.

Their demand? A retraction of an FBI advisory published in May that they felt "offended" them.

That's right. They didn't want Bitcoin. They didn't want a wire transfer to a Cayman account. They wanted the FBI — the Federal Bureau of Investigation — to say sorry.

The FBI's response, via Assistant Director Brett Leatherman in a social media video, was the federal equivalent of a mic drop:

"You know how to find us, and we know how to find you. I suggest you reach out first while the choice is still yours."

The FBI is now investigating whether the breach came through third-party software or its own internal systems. Officials and commentators have been less diplomatic, with one word appearing repeatedly in coverage: "incompetence."

Rey Gets Caught — Then Switches Teams

The plot thickened dramatically on September 29, 2026, when Jordanian authorities detained Saif al-Din Khader, known online as "Rey" or "ReyXBF" — a key administrator of ShinyHunters and one of three top figures in the broader Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters (SLH) supergroup.

Here's the kicker: Rey is now helping the FBI hunt his own crew.

Sources told Reuters that Khader is allowing investigators to examine his devices and digital correspondence, and that "his cooperation is critical to ongoing efforts to arrest these hackers."

This isn't entirely surprising — Khader had reportedly been cooperating with law enforcement since at least June 2025, according to independent journalist Brian Krebs. He's also a former administrator of BreachForums and the Hellcat ransomware data leak site. The man has more cybercrime résumé lines than most people have LinkedIn endorsements.

His arrest follows another bust the previous week: Pepijn van der Stap, a 24-year-old Amsterdam man and offensive security lead at a Dutch firm, was arrested for involvement in ShinyHunters operations. The group denied knowing him. Sure.

Who Exactly Is Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters?

To understand the full scope of the chaos, you need to know what ShinyHunters has become. This isn't your 2020 database-theft crew anymore.

In 2025, three of cybercrime's most notorious brands merged into a single supergroup:

GroupSpecialtyRole in SLH
ShinyHuntersMass data theft, SaaS extortionCore engine, brand operator
Scattered SpiderVoice phishing, SIM-swapping, identity abuseInitial access specialist
LAPSUS$Social engineering, insider recruitment, spectacleCultural DNA + chaos fuel

Together, they became Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters — a modular, distributed cybercrime franchise that operates more like a dark web McKinsey than a traditional hacking gang.

Their 2025–2026 greatest hits include:

  • A Salesforce OAuth-token compromise hitting 39 companies including Google, Cisco, FedEx, and Disney — nearly 1 billion records allegedly stolen
  • The Canvas education platform breach, disrupting US schools nationwide
  • A Carhartt hack in mid-August 2026 leaking ~50GB of data on nearly 13 million customers — now the subject of a class-action lawsuit
  • And, of course, the FBI itself

Why Arresting Them Is Like Playing Whack-a-Mole in the Dark

The day after Rey's detention, a brand new dark web data leak site went live under the ShinyHunters brand. The group didn't skip a beat.

This is the defining feature of SLH's architecture: it's modular by design. Individual arrests don't kill the operation — they just reshuffle the org chart. When Telegram banned their main channel, backup channels appeared within days. When BreachForums was seized, successor sites emerged. When one member flips, the rest keep moving.

The real defense burden, experts note, falls not on law enforcement catching hackers after the fact — but on organizations hardening their identity and SaaS layers before the phone call comes.

Because with SLH, the attack often starts with a voice. A fake IT support call. A consent screen. An OAuth token. No malware. No implants. Just a very convincing person on the phone asking you to click approve.

The Damage Ledger (So Far, This Year)

TargetWhat HappenedScale
FBI (FBIJobs.gov)PII, medical, psychiatric records stolen via Oracle PeopleSoft vuln~60,000 current & former staff
CarharttData breach → class-action lawsuit~13 million customers, ~50GB
Canvas / InstructureEducation platform breach, school disruptionsUp to 275M records claimed
Salesforce ecosystemOAuth-token vishing campaign39 companies, ~1B records claimed

The Takeaway

ShinyHunters hacking the FBI is the cybersecurity equivalent of a pickpocket robbing a police precinct — and then leaving a note saying they did it for brand awareness. The arrest of Rey in Jordan is a real win for law enforcement, and his cooperation could unravel significant threads of the SLH network.

But the new leak site that appeared hours after his detention tells the real story: the brand is bigger than any one member. The FBI is hunting them. Kash Patel has promised "no safe haven." And somewhere, a ShinyHunters Telegram channel is probably already posting a meme about it.

The most dangerous hackers in 2026 don't need zero-days. They need a phone, a convincing accent, and an enterprise that hasn't trained its help desk. That's the actual vulnerability — and no arrest in Jordan fixes it.

Sources: BBC News, NPR, Cybernews, The Hacker News, MSNBC, HackRead, Reuters, The New York Times, BleepingComputer, Top Class Actions




Sources & Links

Here's a full reference list for every source cited in the article, organized by outlet.

🔴 Primary News Coverage

  1. BBC News — Special agents' blood and urine test results stolen in FBI hack https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw62me2vlj07o

  2. NPR — FBI hunting the hackers who stole its employees' sensitive data https://www.npr.org/2026/09/30/nx-s1-5985202/fbi-hack-shinyhunters

  3. MSNBC / MS Now — 'Incompetence': Massive FBI hack hit most employees and extends to local officials https://www.ms.now/news/fbi-hack-shinyhunters-breach-data

🔵 Cybersecurity & Tech Press

  1. Cybernews — ShinyHunters hacker detained in Jordan – now he's helping FBI hunt down his own crew https://cybernews.com/news/shinyhunters-hacker-detained-in-jordan-fbi/

  2. The Hacker News — ShinyHunters Suspect Rey Reportedly Detained in Jordan, Helping FBI Identify Group Members https://thehackernews.com/2026/10/shinyhunters-suspect-rey-reportedly.html

  3. HackRead — ShinyHunters FBI breach & Oracle PeopleSoft vulnerability details https://hackread.com

  4. BleepingComputer — ShinyHunters ongoing activity, new dark web leak site, corporate campaigns https://www.bleepingcomputer.com

⚖️ Legal & Consumer

  1. Top Class Actions — Carhartt class-action lawsuit following ShinyHunters breach https://topclassactions.com

📰 General & Investigative

  1. The New York Times — ShinyHunters communications & breach statement analysis https://www.nytimes.com

  2. Reuters (via Investing.com) — Rey detention and cooperation reporting https://www.investing.com

  3. GV Wire — ShinyHunters corporate & academic hacking campaigns, Canvas breach https://gvwire.com

🏛️ Official Government

  1. FBI Official Statement — FBI statement on compromise of FBIJobs.gov portal https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-statement-on-compromise-of-fbijobsgov-portal-and-alleged-impact-to-fbi-employee-pii

  2. FBI Cyber Division — Official FBI cyber investigations page https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber

All links verified as of October 4, 2026. Some outlet homepages are listed where specific article URLs were not provided in the original source material.




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