Latest News
Smithsonian Leader’s Retirement Hints at Conflict Over Constitutional Authority
The retirement announced last week by the Smithsonian Institution’s top executive appears to be headed toward another constitutional challenge on authority over independent government agencies.
Lonnie G. Bunch, 73, who has led the Smithsonian for the past seven years, said he wants to spend more time with his family but also acknowledged political pressure from the Trump administration.
The selection of Bunch's successor is expected to be a test of the institution's independence.
White House reports and executive orders accused the institution's leadership of promoting "anti-Americanism" with exhibits on slavery, Native American history, and civil rights. Administration officials also threatened to cut funding.
A 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump instructed administration officials to root out "improper ideology" across federal cultural institutions, such as the Smithsonian. Trump wants the museum to focus more on patriotic achievements.
Senators Demand Investigation of OpenAI After its Systems Infiltrate a Competitor
Two U.S. senators are calling for investigations of OpenAI after the online technology company acknowledged that its experimental artificial intelligence agents inadvertently breached systems of a different AI platform.
The breach of AI community Hugging Face is renewing concerns about loopholes in laws and regulations that could allow autonomous artificial intelligence to operate beyond human control.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he would use a Senate investigation to get answers from OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman about the July incident. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is urging federal cybersecurity agencies to examine the risks posed by OpenAI’s models.
OpenAI describes the breach as a “warning shot,” saying its computerized agents circumvented safeguards and gained unauthorized internet access before compromising Hugging Face systems.
The congressional scrutiny comes amid implications from researchers that rapid AI advances could lead to devastating cyberattacks and development of catastrophic biological viruses.
FTC, 22 States Sue Amazon over Alleged Hidden Fees in Advertising Auctions
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from 22 states are suing Amazon over allegations the company secretly manipulated its online advertising auctions to charge advertisers excessive fees.
The FTC alleges that Amazon used a pricing system that raised minimum bids for sponsored product, brand and display advertisements, resulting in more than $20 billion in additional costs for advertisers since 2019.
Maryland’s attorney general joined the lawsuit.
More than one million small to mid-size businesses pay to promote their products on the platform. Amazon reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission that its advertising revenue reached about $68.7 billion in fiscal 2025.
Regulators say the elevated advertising expenses may ultimately have been passed on to consumers through higher prices.
Legal Briefs
Singaporean’s Cryptocurrency Scam Helps Propel U.S., U.K. Alliance Against Fraud
A 22-year-old Singaporean is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in federal court in Washington, D.C., to participating in a scheme that stole more than $245 million in cryptocurrency from a District of Columbia resident.
It was one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts in U.S. history.
Malone Lam pleaded guilty last week to a federal racketeering conspiracy charge after prosecutors said he and associates used social engineering tactics to trick the victim into surrendering access to his cryptocurrency holdings.
Lam, who helped launder the stolen funds, then spent lavishly on luxury cars, mansions and nightclubs, including more than $569,000 at a Los Angeles nightclub in one night, authorities said. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.
The guilty plea comes days after the United States and United Kingdom announced a first-of-its-kind alliance to dismantle global scam operations tied to cryptocurrency fraud.
The U.S.-side of the alliance is operating out of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington, D.C.
Federal prosecutors blame overseas cyber-fraud for stealing about $10 billion a year from American households.
Representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia signed a formal memorandum of understanding with the Crown Prosecution Service of England & Wales and the U.K. National Crime Agency.
D.C. in Brief
D.C. Police Union Warns About Unrestrained Flock Camera Use
The union representing Washington, D.C. police officers is urging local lawmakers and the Metropolitan Police Department to institute privacy safeguards on use of Flock Safety surveillance cameras.
Flock cameras use artificial intelligence to read license plates and capture other characteristics of passing vehicles. They create a searchable record that can help police identify stolen cars, locate suspects and investigate crimes.
The MPD’s 67 Flock automated license-plate readers scan hundreds of thousands of vehicles each day.
Gregg Pemberton, president of the D.C. police union, said the union is not opposed to the cameras but is concerned about how they are used.
“A system with such broad and extensive capabilities requires not only significant guardrails, but also full transparency with the public,” Pemberton said in a statement. He said MPD has done neither of them.
The union's warning coincides with complaints from civil liberties groups about possible Fourth Amendment privacy violations. They say the technology can create a record of where motorists travel even when the drivers are not suspected of wrongdoing.
Pemberton said MPD management has occasionally improperly used information obtained through the Flock system. The MPD has not publicly revealed who has access to Flock information.
The dispute also is arising in other cities. A recent Washington Post investigation found at least 69 police officials had been accused, charged or convicted of misusing Flock systems, including cases involving officers using the technology to monitor people for unauthorized reasons.
The manufacturer, Flock Safety, says it is adding oversight measures to avoid abuses. The company said it would require information searches to be associated with criminal case numbers. Flock is encouraging shorter data-retention periods as communities debate whether the benefits of the technology outweigh its privacy risks.
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