Homeland Security Investigations Office has Opened Hundreds of Cases of COVID-19 Related Fraud

The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office has opened more than 370 cases of alleged fraud in which scammers tried to sell counterfeit COVID-19 test kits, treatments, masks, and cleaning products. Since the US entered lockdown around two months ago, the HSI has cracked down on individuals and organizations it suspects of fraud and has investigated nearly 25,000 website domains, the Washington Examiner reports.

Op-Ed: H.R. 6666 a devil of a COVID-19 government surveillance plot

A House resolution from Illinois Democrat Rep. Bobby Rush that would put Big Government in charge of tracking citizens’ movements as they relate to COVID-19 mitigation efforts — even sending health bureaucrats to “individuals’ residences,” “as necessary,” as the legislation states — has a most apt number: 6666.

Senate to reconsider expired surveillance tools

The U.S. Senate will make a renewed attempt this week to extend parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday, two months after the divisive government surveillance tools expired.

Freedom House: ‘Hungary No Longer Democracy’

A leading democracy watchdog has suggested that Hungary has become the first non-democratic European Union member state, prompting an angry reaction from the government. Washington-based Freedom House also warned that Poland is heading towards the same direction.

Putin-Trump call focuses on coronavirus, arms control, oil

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed progress in combating the coronavirus pandemic along with arms control issues and oil prices in a phone call Thursday, the White House and the Kremlin said.

Federal Judge upholds California ban on church service gatherings

California Gov. Newsom’s executive order banning in-person church services during the COVID-19 pandemic has been upheld by a federal judge, the Washington Examiner reports. The Cross Culture Christian Center near Sacramento had filed a lawsuit stating the governor’s lockdown order violated their First Amendment right to free assembly.

High Number of Background Checks for Firearms Purchase in April

The FBI recorded 2.9 million background checks for the purchase of firearms in the month of April, the Washington Examiner reported. Under US federal law, all gun distributors must run background checks with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to ascertain buyers have no criminal record preventing them from owning a gun.

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