u/pit_of_despair666

Despite his stated concern about U.S. election security, President Trump during his second term has overseen significant cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, including to its election work.

Mr. Trump made no acknowledgment of those cuts in his speech on Thursday. “We will be working closely to mitigate any harm and taking swift action to ensure that sensitive voter data is better protected,” he said, “so it can never be bought or hacked and we can never watch it get stolen again.”

That agency, which was created during his first term, had been a lead federal partner for states on election security efforts since the 2016 election, sharing cybersecurity best practices and intelligence about foreign intentions around elections. Since Mr. Trump’s return to the White House, CISA has lost around a third of its work force, which stood at 3,400 in January 2025. In February last year, the administration put more than a dozen CISA election security workers on leave as part of an investigation into its election work, a move that had a chilling effect on the 100 or so people in the division. The agency has not had a Senate-confirmed leader during Mr. Trump’s second presidency.

Other federal agencies have also downsized their election security work, including the F.B.I. and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which under Tulsi Gabbard gutted the Foreign Malign Influence Center that monitors foreign election threats.

And this month Mr. Trump forced out the three remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, an independent, bipartisan commission that supports states in administering their elections. In recent years, much of the small commission’s work also focused on cybersecurity support to states.

Dave Kendall, who created and hosted MTV’s 120 Minutes, has died, according to his friend and former MTV colleague Matt Pinfield.

Pinfield did not disclosed a cause or date of death, nor was Kendall’s age immediately available.

“Dave was one of the true believers,” Pinfield wrote on X. “Long before alternative music found its way into the mainstream, he was there every week on 120 Minutes, introducing people to bands that would go on to define an era. He didn’t just host a show. He gave a home to music that deserved to be heard.

Anyone remember this band?

(Clan Of Xymox)