Random News and Notes 3 February
An anti – ICE activist from Minnesota had her TSA pre-check and Global Entry privileges revoked after she was identified via body worn camera footage.
Nicole Cleland is a 56-year-old resident of Richfield, Minnesota, and a payments director at Target Corporation. On January 10, 2026, Cleland was volunteering with a local watchdog group that monitors ICE and CBP, she followed a white Dodge Ram vehicle she believed was driven by federal agents. The vehicle stopped, and a Border Patrol agent (dressed in camouflage fatigues and armed) approached her car. The agent warned her that she was impeding federal law enforcement activities and would be arrested if she continued.
Just three days later, on January 13, 2026, Cleland received an email from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notifying her that her Global Entry and TSA PreCheck privileges had been revoked.
Cleland was apparently identified by facial recognition and other biometric means.
This editor has some issues with what happened in this case. He strongly believes that facial recognition is unconstitutional. The collection and use of biometric information in this manner violates the 4th Amendment prohibition on general warrants. Mere interaction with law enforcement is not probable cause as required.
As to the loss of TSA privileges, there is less to be concerned about outside of the obvious constitutional issues involved in the whole agency and the law that established it. Agencies, particularly law enforcement, should actively share information. PreCheck and Global Entry are privileges, not rights.
Prosecutors in France have raided the Paris offices of X. The prosecutors are alleging that X amplified disinformation and hate speech through its algorithm, with the probe expanding to Grok’s generation of Holocaust denial and explicit deepfakes.
Officials are looking into potential crimes like child abuse image distribution and illegal platform operation. They also want to talk to Elon Musk about it.
This is going to end badly for the Euros. Trump has already signalled he will not allow US based companies to be bullied by them. They have little leverage and have already irritated Trump.
Bo is a scent tracking K9 with the Gastonia NC police. He is also the goodest of boys. He tracked a 13 year old special needs boy through a snowstorm Saturday night. The boy wandered away from home without the proper clothing for the conditions.
Bo and handler Sgt. David Rowland used a scent article to navigate the dark conditions and find the teen. Bo, Gastonia PD’s only scent-tracking dog and a 2024 American Humane Hero Dog Award winner, has a history of lifesaving tracks. The boy is now safe at home.
This is an odd and concerning one. The 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie has gone missing. Nancy Guthrie of Tucson Arizona was last seen Saturday night around 2145 by one of her children.
Pima county sheriff Chris Nanos indicated that the disappearance looked like an abduction in a presser yesterday. Nanos confirmed a crime scene with possible DNA evidence like blood. He also noted that her limited mobility and daily medication needs made wandering off impossible. The FBI is now assisting in the criminal probe.