The terms of service we hurriedly agreed to keep coming back to haunt us.

Last Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google confirmed previous reports about the far-reaching access third-party apps can have to Gmail users’ accounts and personal emails.

When you download an app, it might request access to your Gmail account. But what you might not realize when you grant access is that these apps may analyze your Gmail data — including the content of your emails — for their product, and potentially for targeting ads. Apps are also allowed to share your information with third parties, as long as Google determines that it adequately discloses that to users. The Journal previously reported that “hundreds” of apps can scan the email of “millions” of users.

Google says it reviews apps to make sure they are clearly communicating what they have access to. But unless Gmail users are diligent, security experts that Mashable spoke with say the policy potentially exposes people in ways they may have not consented to or understood. 

Several experts said that app developers’ access to user data is more than just potentially creepy or invasive, though. Giving an app access to your Gmail can expose received emails as well as sent emails. So, because the policy could expose both your and your friends’ data, app access to Gmail could create a security risk similar to the mechanism that allowed for Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal. 

In that instance, a researcher used a third-party app, downloaded by 270,000 people, to gather data on all 87 million Facebook users in their friend networks, and then sold the data to a company (Cambridge Analytica) that used it to engage in political advertising. So, similarly, if you happen to send an email to a Gmail user who has given an app permission to read their emails, not only can that app see your correspondence and information — but a further removed third party can also see your emails, without you having ever given consent to either party.

“I do not see what is to prevent this type of access to be abused and misused in a similar way to Cambridge Analytica,” Brian Honan, a cybersecurity consultant for major banking companies who used to work with Europol, said. “Third-party apps with access to peoples’ accounts can expose a lot of personal data about those persons which could be used to target subsequent adverts or messages to them.”

The policy

In a letter, Google reportedly told Congress that when Gmail users grant apps access to their accounts, they may — perhaps inadvertently, if they do not read the terms closely enough — allow these apps to harvest their personal information. Apps can then use what people talk about in their emails, along with demographic and other information, to target their advertising. Google lays out the policy here.

Further, under Gmail’s rules, developers are then allowed to share Gmail users’ data with still other external parties. Google says that it vets the apps, and allows this data sharing as long as it determines that the developers are adequately disclosing the activity. 

Gmail itself ended the practice of using the content of people’s emails for ad targeting in July 2017. But it has apparently kept the ability in place for outside parties — so long as users “consent.”

<img class="" data-credit-name='google‘ data-credit-provider=”custom type” data-caption=”What a consent screen could look like.” title=”What a consent screen could look like.” src=”https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/rdudGFL2iqSlS9db12Xyf8rpIcI=/fit-in/1200×9600/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F854465%2F94155b8d-9d0a-46a1-8d1f-7d9912999fe6.jpg&#8221; alt=”What a consent screen could look like.” data-fragment=”m!5648″ data-image=”https://ift.tt/2OkugH6; data-micro=”1″>

Experts say this portion of Gmail’s app developer policy is concerning for several reasons, on the fronts of both security and privacy.

“Without technical controls built in, app vendors are going to get to wherever they can within the platform, and within user accounts,” Rebecca Herold, a top information security expert and consultant to multi-national corporations, who is also known as “The Privacy Professor,” said. “That’s what the apps are designed to do, to gather data. These companies need to build a more rigorous set of controls to prevent that from happening.”

Security

The most straightforward problem with Gmail’s policy is the security vulnerabilities it could open users up to.

“All of these third-parties have been vetted by Google, but the reality is that every company is vulnerable to data breaches,” said Gary Davis, McAfee’s chief consumer security evangelist. “The more an individual or company shares personal data, the greater the likelihood of that information falling into malicious hands.”

“From a cybersecurity aspect, you don’t know how well those third-party apps have been vetted by Google”

Google stresses that it carefully reviews apps and employs sophisticated malware-detecting filtering technology. And, if you’re downloading an app from Google Play or the App Store, the chances of encountering a malicious app are low (though still possible). But people can and do download apps outside of these ecosystems. 

In those cases, Google’s data-collecting policy could allow for malicious apps to gain access to and undermine people’s accounts — especially on Android. Herold noted that some of the app policies allow for apps to “inject information, edit, and upload” in your account, which could lead to malware sending spam emails on your behalf. And access to personal emails could enable bad actors to craft more convincing and targeted phishing emails. 

“Google claims to have processes and systems in place to identify and remove malicious apps from its store, but despite these measures, malicious apps still are found regularly in the store,” Honan said.

“From a cybersecurity aspect, you don’t know how well those third-party apps have been vetted by Google,” said Herold.

The privacy onus

While malicious apps may pose a security risk, legitimate apps that simply want to use your data for advertising may actually be the larger issue.

Currently, the technology industry is undergoing a shift in who bears the responsibility for securing a user’s privacy. Up until this point, the onus to protect one’s privacy has been on users — which reflects Gmail’s current policy with app developers.

But thanks to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, the practice of making people consent to giving away their data by burying consent in terms and conditions is coming under scrutiny. Gmail’s own policy change about not parsing emails for the sake of advertising data reflects this sea change. And Google recently prompted its users to more proactively review security settings.

But the company’s stance toward apps that have access to email reflects an outdated, and vulnerable, approach to privacy.

“It seems like a lazy way for them to address this,” Herold said. “They’re trying to push off responsibility to those who use Gmail instead of Google taking active steps to actually secure Gmail and limit what third-party apps can actually do.”

Currently, when people download an app, they may consent to giving that app access to their Gmail accounts — and inadvertently allow apps to read their emails, and provide their data to other companies. The way that people grant permission may be clear and forthright, especially if it takes place in a Google ecosystem. But the ways that people give consent vary from device to device, and from app to app. That means that Gmail is technically covered, from a legal standpoint. But hasty app-downloaders who rush through permissions might not be.

Currently, Gmail users can review and revoke access to apps at myaccount.google.com. But McAfee’s Davis says that Google should make it easier for users to control who has access to their data within Gmail.

“The most significant part of this really boils down to individual preference,” Davis said. “In our busy lives many people value the ability to have ads served up that align with their individual needs. However, there are also many people who feel this is a breach of their privacy. Allowing Gmail users to opt in or out in a more visible way could help support the needs of consumers from both ends of the spectrum.”

Cambridge Analytica: Gmail edition?

What made Cambridge Analytica such a large-scale disaster was the ripple effect. Only about 270,000 people downloaded the app. But those people gave researcher Aleksandr Kogan access to data about all of their Facebook friends, which means he ultimately had data on 87 million people. 

Similarly, apps that have received permission to access a person’s inbox see their whole inbox — not just the emails written by the one person who gave consent for access. That means these apps could have access to the emails and contact information of whoever an individual corresponds with. They might not get access to all the profile data, as with Cambridge Analytica, but they would still be able to learn people’s names, emails, and other personal information.

Herold thinks that building in specific controls to safeguard people’s informations should fall to Gmail, rather than just relegating privacy policy to dense legal agreements.

“Internet companies need to have preventive security controls built into their platform so they can block access to specific areas of their users accounts,” Herold said. “Facebook didn’t do that. Their contract left their infrastructure wide open, and it sounds like Google’s doing that too.”

And with Cambridge Analytica, Kogan was technically not allowed to share his data with additional parties. But with Gmail, this is acceptable — as long as apps disclose what they’re doing.

“The biggest distinction is transparency,” Davis said. “Gmail developers are required to be transparent with how they use Gmail data, whereas the issue with the Cambridge Analytica scandal was a lack of understanding of who had access to what data.”

That monitoring and transparency process should protect Gmail users. But only if they have actually taken the time to read what they’ve consented to. 

And, as long as nothing goes wrong.

“The problem with depending on contractual requirements is that they’re not information security controls in and of themselves,” Herold said. “From a privacy standpoint, you have no idea what those apps might be accessing, taking, and using elsewhere. The unknown is the biggest risk.”

Palestine filed a complaint against the United States with the United Nations top court over Washington’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. 

In a statement issued on Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said Palestine contends the embassy’s relocation is in breach of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. 

In its application, Palestine argued that the treaty dictates embassies must be established on the territory of the receiving state and that the “special status of Jerusalem” means that the US violated its international obligations when it moved its embassy. 

According to the statement, Palestine asked the court to declare the move illegal as well as order the US to withdraw the embassy from Jerusalem. 

On Saturday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said the complaint “comes in line with the policy of the State of Palestine, which aims to preserve the character of the holy city of Jerusalem with its unique spiritual, religious and cultural dimensions”.

“We defend our rights and our people without hesitation and reject all forms of political and financial extortion,” he was quoted as saying by Palestinian news agency Wafa. 

Ralph Wilde, an international lawyer based at the University College London, said the court must rule if Palestine is deemed a nation state.

He noted the UN General Assembly has recognised Palestine as a non-member state, “which the court will have to address in this decision”.

“The case will partly hinge on the question of Palestinian statehood, and that has never been before the International Court of Justice,” Wilde told Al Jazeera. “The court’s jurisdiction will only be possible if it can conclude that Palestine meets the international law test for statehood.”

US President Donald Trump announced the relocation of the American embassy in Israel in December, sparking international outrage. 

Decisions by the ICJ are binding, but the court has no power to enforce them and countries, including the United States, have in the past ignored its rulings. 

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

WASHINGTON – In FBI parlance, they are called “spins.”

They are special investigations into the backgrounds of nominees to the Supreme Court and other high profile jobs in any presidential administration.

Perhaps never before has such attention been focused on the long-shrouded process than in the case of Brett Kavanaugh.

And Friday brought a new and unexpected wrinkle: Republican senators and President Donald Trump acquiesced to Democrats’ demand for the re-opening of Kavanaugh’s background inquiry to vet allegations of sexual assault against the Supreme Court nominee leveled by high school acquaintance Christine Blasey Ford.

While an extraordinary Senate Judiciary Committee hearing did little to reconcile the dueling accounts offered by Ford and Kavanaugh, lawmakers now believe that a clearer picture of the nominee’s credibility would likely emerge and Trump Friday authorized a “limited” one-week FBI review.

Only the White House was authorized to re-open the background review, closed long before Ford’s allegations were made public. But even in the narrow amount of time provided by Trump, former FBI officials said agents could reach a quick resolution.

“They could knock this thing out in a couple of days,” said Jim Davis, a former agent who participated in at least 50 such background inquiries. “The great and beautiful thing about the FBI is that it can apply incredible resources to whatever the issue requires.”

Phil Mudd, a former CIA and FBI official who has been the subject of a half-dozen background checks, said such re-investigation is common and can be completed fairly quickly.

“You have to let things go where they go, but if it is narrow in scope it could take just a few days,” Mudd said.

Apart from Ford, among the first witnesses likely to be contacted by investigators is Kavanaugh’s high school friend, Mark Judge, who Ford claims was in the room when she was assaulted at a house party in the Washington, D.C. suburbs in 1982.

Ford told the Senate panel that while she was allegedly being assaulted by Kavanaugh, she made eye contact with Judge who she had hoped would come to her aid.

Democrats had unsuccessfully sought to have Judge testify at Thursday’s hearing.

Judge, in a statement Friday, said he would “cooperate with any law enforcement agency that is assigned to confidentially investigate these allegations.”

Judge had previously told the committee in a sworn statement that he had “no memory” of the incident outlined by Ford.

In her testimony, Ford identified two others who were allegedly present at the party, P.J. Smyth and Leland Ingham Keyser. Both of them also have issued statements indicating that they no recollection of the party.

Davis, the former FBI agent, said all of those identified as being present at the party would almost certainly be interviewed, as well the people who Ford told of the incident.

Prior to Thursday’s hearing, Ford’s attorneys provided the Senate committee with sworn declarations from four people, including Ford’s husband, who said that Ford had shared details of the incident and Kavanaugh’s alleged involvement with them.

More: Trump calls Ford’s testimony ‘compelling,’ orders new FBI probe of Kavanaugh

More: Kavanaugh confirmation: Yale Law joins American Bar Association in request for FBI probe

More: What just happened? Here’s a breakdown of the Brett Kavanaugh vote and what happens next

Ford’s husband, Russell Ford, said he first learned of his wife’s experience with sexual assault “around the time we got married.” However, he said Ford did not share details of the incident until a couple’s therapy session in 2012.

“I remember her saying that her attacker’s name was Brett Kavanaugh, that he was a successful lawyer who had grown up in Christine’s hometown, and that he was well known in the Washington, D.C., community,” Russell Ford said.

It was unclear whether the scope of an FBI inquiry would allow for the review of other allegations leveled by former Yale classmate, Deborah Ramirez, who claimed that Kavanaugh exposed himself at a drunken party during the 1983-84 academic year.

Another woman, Julie Swetnick, has alleged that in the 1980s she witnessed Kavanaugh and Judge attempt to ply teenage girls with alcohol at wild parties where girls were sexually abused.

She did not say Kavanaugh or Judge sexually assaulted her.

Kavanaugh has denied all of the allegations.

In his statement Friday, Judge said he did not recall attending the parties.

“The allegations in the Swetnick affidavit are so bizarre that, even while suffering from my addiction, I would remember actions so outlandish. I categorically deny them,” he said.

Kavanaugh has said that Judge struggled with alcohol addiction.

“The FBI is going to put together a list, and you can bet that all of the people whose names have been floated out there are going to be on it,” said Ray Mey, a former FBI agent who conducted dozens of background checks during his tenure at the bureau.

“The FBI has more than enough resources to do this in a week,” he said. “What I worry about, is that nobody comes out of this looking good, including the FBI.”

If the FBI discovers derogatory information, Mey said the FBI risks invoking the wrath of the president who has accused of the bureau of attempting to sabotage his administration as part of its inquiry into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

“If they don’t find anything, the other side will say it’s a cover-up,” Mey said. “Either way, the bureau doesn’t gain anything.”

 

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“An American Treasure,” a new four-disc posthumous collection of the music of the late Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician and bandleader Tom Petty, will likely be met with mixed emotions.

Even a die-hard fan could argue the need for this specific retrospective, which arrives a year after Petty’s death at the age of 66 from cardiac arrest Oct. 2, 2017.

There are10 unreleased songs among the 60 tracks collected here, but nearly one-third come straight from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ official album releases (although all have been remastered). And even more are alternate versions or demos of previously released songs.

Beyond that, more than a dozen are live performances of Heartbreakers’ staples such as “Breakdown,” “Even the Losers” and “A Woman in Love (It’s Not Me)” — already chronicled on “The Live Anthology,” a multi-disc release from 2009. These are different performances, however, with this recording of “A Woman in Love” coming from a concert the day prior to the one on “The Live Anthology.”

More: 10 albums you need to hear this fall from Cher to Kanye West to Tom Petty

But those are minor issues when it comes to this timely “Treasure.”

Petty’s wife, Dana, daughter Adria and bandmates guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench, both of whom spent more than 40 years in the Heartbreakers, lovingly curated the set. Producer Ryan Ulyate, who worked with Petty and the band since 2005, also mixed the newly released recordings.

There’s plenty of hits here and also nuggets from some of Petty’s lesser-heralded albums, including an alternate version of “Straight Into Darkness” from 1982’s “Long After Dark” and a stripped-down “The Damage You’ve Done” from 1987’s “Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)” album.

An unreleased take on “Rebels” has a more prominent horn section than the original on the 1985 platinum Heartbreakers album “Southern Accents,” and Petty’s distinctive shriek closes out the song.

Live tracks will remind longtime fans why they cherished Heartbreakers concerts. A fun segment from a June 28, 1981, show at the L.A. Forum has NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then a member of the Lakers) introducing the band before a furious “Kings Road.”

Two of the unreleased songs, “Gainesville” and “Bus to Tampa Bay” recorded in 1998 and 2011, respectively, show Petty reminiscing about the band’s formative days in Florida, before their move to Los Angeles in 1970. Another, the expressive ballad “Lost In Your Eyes,” was recorded in 1975 by Mudcrutch, Petty’s pre-Heartbreakers ensemble, but never released.

Longtime friend Stevie Nicks appears on two tracks: a 1984 demo of “The Apartment Song,” a song that would eventually show up on Petty’s 1989 solo multi-platinum smash “Full Moon Fever” (without Nicks) and a live 2006 recording of “Insider,” a song Petty had written for Nicks’ own solo efforts, but kept for the 1981 “Hard Promises” album and instead gave her “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” which became a hit duet. 

A personal favorite is a punchier, more piano-driven take of “King of the Hill,” a duet Petty wrote with Roger McGuinn for the former Byrds’ leader’s “Back to Rio” 1991 solo release (Petty served as arranger on the entire album).

The box set ends with a jammy live version of “Hungry No More,” from Mudcrutch 2, the second album Petty recorded with his pre-Heartbreakers group.

That song embodies “why this set is coming out,” Tench says in liner notes within a 52-page booklet accompanying the four-CD deluxe edition ($44.99). “You knew that he was great, because you all sang along to ‘Free Fallin’’ and ‘Refugee’ and ‘Runnin’ Down a Dream’ and ‘I Won’t Back Down.’ But there’s more, and we want everybody to hear that.”

Those who spring for the Super Deluxe Limited Edition ($149.99) get a larger hardback with more photographs and an essay by author Nicholas Dawidoff (“In the Country of Country”), as well as a lithograph of the album’s cover art and reproductions of Petty’s handwritten lyrics. A two-CD standard edition of “Treasure” ($10.99 on Amazon) collects 26 of the tracks, and coming Nov. 23, a six-LP vinyl edition ($149.98).

Listening to this set, fans will likely feel a resurgence of sadness at loss of the beloved singer-songwriter. Don’t let that scare you away from this bittersweet, but rewarding experience.

As Tench says in the liner notes: “People still say to me, ‘You guys were the soundtrack to my life.’ Well, we were the soundtrack to mine, too — I just heard it before anybody else. I grew up playing with these guys, and my heart is as broken as anybody’s.”

Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday, alleging that Musk made “false and misleading statements” in August about the possibility of taking the automaker private. The agency said in the lawsuit that it seeks to bar Musk from being an officer or director of a public company.

On August 7, Musk said that he had “funding secured” to convert Tesla into a private company at $420 per share and only needed a shareholder vote to confirm a go-private deal. In its lawsuit, the SEC alleges that Musk had not acquired the necessary funding or even discussed the terms he mentioned with any potential backers. Those terms included the proposed $420 share price and an option for all existing Tesla shareholders to remain with the company after it went private.

Musk said he was “deeply saddened and disappointed” by the lawsuit, which he called “unjustified,” in a company statement to Business Insider.

Here’s what three legal experts told Business Insider about the lawsuit:

Gregory Sichenzia — partner at Sichenzia Ross Ference

• The speed with which the SEC went from opening an investigation to filing a lawsuit was surprising.
• The investigation’s subject was narrow, which may have influenced its speed.
• Markets may be concerned about Tesla in the short term, but if Tesla is successful in the long term, the lawsuit won’t have much of an impact.
• Musk shouldn’t step aside from the CEO role voluntarily since no one is better suited to the job than him.

Jay Dubow — partner at Pepper Hamilton

• The SEC might have felt pressure to bring its case quickly due to Musk’s high profile.
• When the SEC brings a case against a high-profile CEO, it scares employees at other companies and prevents misbehavior.
• Though this lawsuit only names Musk, the SEC could potentially sue Tesla in the future.

Thomas Gorman — partner at Dorsey and Whitney and former SEC senior counsel

• The SEC shouldn’t have sued Musk.
• The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund’s reported interest in a take-private deal was enough to make Musk’s statements legal, if ill-advised.
• Winning its case against Musk would be a significant victory for the SEC, as it would send a message to other companies about the agency’s ability and willingness to punish illegal activity.
• But Gorman said he doesn’t believe the SEC brought its case against Musk as a means of self-promotion.

Read more about the SEC’s lawsuit against Elon Musk:

Have a Tesla news tip? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

In late August, a German citizen was stabbed to death in the East German town of Chemnitz. As the police launched an investigation into the murder, it announced that it had arrested two suspects, identifying them by their nationalities – a Syrian and an Iraqi.

Although subsequently, investigators reported that the true identities of the two could not be immediately verified and one of them was released for lack of evidence, the damage had already been done. The public opinion blamed the murder on refugees.

Far-right groups were quick to exploit public anger and organised large anti-immigration protests. Some 7,000 joined the demonstrations, which were marked by hate speech and violence against non-Germans. Meanwhile, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the ruling party in the East German state of Saxony, where Chemnitz is located, did little to calm down the public and confront hate-mongering by the far right.

Neither the Chemnitz protests, nor the timid reaction of the political elite are surprising. In Germany’s recent history, right-wing violence has been often officially condemned, but rarely taken seriously enough. This has allowed right-wing groups to grow and flourish, particularly in East Germany.

The rise of the far right in East Germany

Although political parties and groups were banned in East Germany during the communist era, after reunification in 1990, the far right found fertile ground in the less developed east.

Over the 1990s, the eastern states struggled with losing a significant chunk of their workforce to internal migration to the west and with adjusting to the new political and economic system.

At the same time, the immigration that had supported West Germany’s manufacturing industry started trickling into East Germany as well. Within the context of a difficult political and economic transition, public dissatisfaction started expressing itself in resentment towards these newcomers.

Whereas many urban parts of West Germany became more diverse in the 1970s and 1980s, the East was rather homogenous and remains largely so until today.

In the early 1990s, Germany witnessed a wave of far-right violence, with major incidents happening in the eastern states.

In September 1991, the East German town of Hoyerswerda, witnessed a week of racist riots in which neo-Nazis targeted asylum seekers and Vietnamese and Mozambican temporary workers, who had been brought years earlier by the communist government to work in the nearby coal mine.

A violent mob besieged and attacked the hostel where the workers were staying, as local residents looked on and cheered. As the attacks persisted, the local authorities were forced to evacuate the foreigners. The neo-Nazis then focused their efforts on a dormitory housing asylum seekers from Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. They  besieged the building and threw Molotov cocktails at it until the local authorities decided to also bus out its more than 200 inhabitants.

Although over 80 people were arrested in the riots, just 4 were convicted. The “success” of the neo-Nazi pogrom in Hoyerswerda then inspired similar attacks on foreign workers and asylum seekers across the country.

In the following years, cities across East Germany gradually became neo-Nazi strongholds. Thus, it was in the East German city of Jena that the notorious neo-Nazi terror cell “National Socialist Underground” (NSU) first appeared. And it was another East German city – Chemnitz – that its three principal members fled to and went underground, when the German authorities first picked up their trail in 1998.

The city’s flourishing neo-Nazi scene allowed the well-connected trio to live safely and move freely for a while. Meanwhile, the group killed people of Turkish, Kurdish, and Greek origin and committed terrorist attacks throughout the country.

The NSU cooperated with leading members of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD), which has been the country’s leading right-wing extremist party since the end of the Third Reich. Founded in West Germany in 1964, the NPD never passed the 5 percent threshold in federal elections. It did, nevertheless, enjoy regional successes, especially in Saxony, where it was elected to state parliament in 2004 and 2009.

More recently, the far-right was strengthened by the rise of xenophobic groups which combine traditional German ethnocentrism with racist sentiment against the more than 1 million newly arrived Arab and African refugees.

The Islamophobic movement Pegida (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the Occident), was founded in Saxony’s capital Dresden in 2014 and it regularly organises racist manifestations in East Germany.

The political party AfD (Alternative for Germany), founded in 2013, has also been quite popular among East German voters. In Saxony, it even emerged as the strongest party in the 2017 federal elections, outperforming the CDU. NSU-style groups have also appeared; earlier this year eight people were sentenced to prison for organising a “defence group” which targeted refugees in the Saxony town of Freital.

As a result of the continuing and strong neo-Nazi presence and the emergence of these new xenophobic groups, violence against foreigners and asylum seekers is quite common in East Germany. Saxon towns like Leipzig, Dresden, and Bautzen, have witnessed neo-Nazi marches, attacks on refugee housings and individual hate crimes. While hate attacks have gradually decreased in western states, in the east, their number remains significantly high.

In 2017, the East German states of Branderburg had the highest number of attacks per capita – 85 per million residents – followed by Saxony – 61 and Saxony-Anhalt – 51. By comparison, the western states of Hamburg, North Rhine- Westphalia and Bremen had respectively 7, 5 and 3 per million inhabitants.

How appeasement is helping the far right

Instead of taking serious measures to counter the dangerous rise of the far right in East Germany, the ruling party, CDU, has been in a state of denial of years.

Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer’s reaction to what happened in Chemnitz is a good illustration of that. Although Kretschmer admitted that right-wing extremism is the greatest threat to German democracy and that it was, so far, not effectively countered in Saxony, he said there were no mobs and no pogroms in Chemnitz. Instead, he criticised the media for depicting Saxony unfavourably.

Indeed, the CDU, which has ruled over Saxony since reunification, has traditionally downplayed the presence of neo-Nazi communities.”Saxons are immune to right-wing extremism,” Kurt Biedenkopf, who served as Saxony’s prime minister between 1990 and 2003, once said.

In 2015, he brushed off far-right attacks against refugees, claiming they had no political importance and seemed to show understanding for Pegida’s protests.

This public denial by the ruling party that the far-right presence and strength in Saxony and beyond is real and that its actions are indeed serious is what has enabled it to grow.   

There has also been hardly any serious action taken to counter and prosecute hate speech by organisations like the AfD. Few have condemned their toxic rhetoric about the need for “self-defence” against what they call “knife migration” (a term suggesting all migrants are potential criminals).

In Saxony, the CDU has shown a rather accommodating attitude towards far-right groups and has even taken to adopting their rhetoric.

Stanislaw Tillich, a leading CDU politician and Saxony’s prime minister until 2017, responded to AfD’s success in the 2017 elections by syaing: “The people want Germany to remain Germany. They do not want refugees to engage in religious and political disputes here.”

In a 2015 interview, he also said that “Islam does not belong to Saxony.”

Such populism from the ruling party has prevented civil and political engagement with the threat of the far right and has allowed the public discourse to continue obsessing about immigrants and Muslims.

As German expert on right-wing extremism Robert Claus told me, in dealing with the AfD, “the CDU is trying to adopt some of the AfD’s demands in order to attract some of the AfD’s voters.” This means that the CDU “is constantly reiterating the position of the AfD and strengthening it.”

In this way, centrist political forces have allowed AfD and other far-right groups to join Germany’s mainstream politics. As a result, their racist populism has become part and parcel of the political discourse in Germany and has started to dominate public debate well beyond Saxony and East Germany.

Historically, this type of appeasement of far-right groups has had disastrous consequences. It is time for Germany’s centrist political forces to recognise that and to take urgent action.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. 

Two Brookhaven police officers were killed in a shootout early Saturday morning. 

The names of the officers are not yet being released pending notification of the next of kin.

Details are scare as of 6:45 a.m., but authorities say one of the suspects is also dead and another is hospitalized. It is not clear how many people were involved in the shootout.

This comes only a year and a half after former Brookhaven officer turned Lincoln County Deputy William Durr was killed in a shooting rampage that left seven others dead as well. 

This is a developing story. We will update as we know more.

 

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Coffee fans, raise a mug. Saturday is the ultimate deal day.

Sept. 29 is National Coffee Day and restaurants, convenience stores and online retailers alike are toasting the made-up holiday by serving up free coffee and discounted brew.

Some businesses are offering an early caffeine fix including the Coupons.com cashback app, which has rebate deal Friday. Buy a cup of coffee at restaurants including McDonald’s and Burger King, and get up to $1.50 back when you submit your receipt through the app.

Starbucks is included in the rebate offer, but the coffee giant isn’t offering any specials of its own. As in past years, the company will mark the day by giving back.

“This National Coffee Day, we’re focused on providing continued assistance to help Puerto Rico recover following the devastation of Hurricane Maria one year ago, where the coffee industry was decimated,” Starbucks said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Local coffee shops are expected to be busier than usual Saturday, too.

More: Online retailers roll out java deals for National Coffee Day

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More: Get free Chick-fil-A nuggets with the chicken chain’s smartphone app through Sept. 29

According to Womply, a small business software provider, National Coffee Day was good for local coffee shops in 2017.

“If you run a coffee shop, expect a huge surge in foot traffic on National Coffee Day,” said Brad Plothow, Womply’s vice president of brand and communications. “One way to take full advantage is to run deals and promotions that encourage a larger average order, since ticket size is typically lower despite increased foot traffic.”

If all the coffee makes you hungry, Saturday also is the last day to get free chicken nuggets at Chick-fil-A, and beef lovers, Wendy’s long National Cheeseburger Day freebie ends Sunday as well.

Two other coffee holidays are coming up next week though neither is expected to bring a stream of specials. Monday is International Coffee Day and Wednesday is the 3rd annual National Coffee with a Cop Day. 

And there’s a simple way to make your own coffee holidays: Get free cups and discounts year-round by using restaurant and convenience store loyalty programs. Many programs give you a free cup just for joining.

Friday deals

Most deals are available at participating locations and while supplies last. Some require an app or coupon. To be on the safe side, check with your closest location to confirm it’s participating. 

Another Broken Egg: Get a free cold brew with any entree purchase Friday at participating locations while supplies last. Limit one per person.

Bruegger’s Bagels: Members of Bruegger’s Inner Circle rewards program get a free medium coffee with any purchase through Saturday. Sign up at www.brueggers.com. 

car2go: On Friday, the car-sharing service is partnering with select coffee shops in major metropolitan cities including Austin, Chicago, Denver, New York City, Portland, Seattle and Washington D.C. to offer a free drink when car2go members show baristas their app, while supplies last. Find a list of participating shops here.

Coupons.com: Get up to $1.50 in cashback deposited in your PayPal account with the popular savings app’s early National Coffee Day rebate Friday. Download the Coupons.com app, then find the “Beer, Wine & Spirits” store and tap on the free coffee coupon. Then purchase a single cup of hot coffee Friday at participating restaurants, get an itemized receipt showing your hot coffee purchase and submit the receipt through the app by 11:59 p.m. Saturday. You’ll get up to $1.50 added to your Paypal account. Participating restaurants include Starbucks, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, 7-Eleven, Tim Hortons, Peet’s Coffee, Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, Carl’s Jr., Denny’s and IHOP.

Corner Bakery Café: All locations will offer a free any size hand-roasted coffee or cold brew (where available) with any purchase on Friday and Saturday.

Love’s Travel Stops: On Friday and Saturday, 24-ounce coffee and hot beverages will be on sale for $1. Plus, the company said in a news release that sales will benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Pilot Flying J: National Coffee Day is a two-day event at the travel centers. With a coupon in the myPilot app, get a free cup of Pilot coffee on Friday or Saturday.

Speedway: Get a free Belvita breakfast biscuit with the purchase of any size coffee on Friday and Saturday. No coupon required.

Coffee Day freebies

These freebies don’t require a purchase but are available at participating locations, often while supplies last. Terms can vary by location and change without notice.

Barnes & Noble: All Barnes & Noble Cafes will offer a free cup of tall hot or iced coffee all day Saturday.

CC’s Coffee House: Get a free tall brewed coffee at participating locations Saturday.

Cinnabon: Get a free 12-ounce coffee at participating locations Saturday. No purchase necessary.

Circle K: Get a free medium coffee and Belvita breakfast biscuit Saturday when you download the convenience store app.

Cumberland Farms: Text FREECOFFEE to 64827 to receive a coupon for a free iced or hot coffee, any size, to redeem on Saturday at participating locations.

Holiday Stationstores: Get a free cup of coffee Saturday by texting COFFEE to 44022. The chain also is running a Free Coffee Tuesday promotion through Oct. 9 but a coupon isn’t needed.

FORTO: For a limited time with the Ibotta smartphone app, get a free 2-ounce single coffee shot at Walmart after rebate. This offer is for Ibotta users who have not redeemed the FORTO rebate before, however, those users might be able to earn 50 cents back for each shot purchased, up to five.

Kolache Factory: Join the company’s email club at www.kolachefactory.com and get a free 12-ounce cup of coffee Saturday with an email coupon. No purchase necessary and limit one coffee per person.

Krispy Kreme: Get a free coffee, any size, at participating locations Saturday. Krispy Kreme Rewards members also get a free doughnut. Participating shops are listed at www.krispykreme.com/coffeeglaze. Also through Sunday, the chain has a special Original Glazed Coffee and Coffee Glazed Doughnuts.

Pilot Flying J: National Coffee Day is a two-day event at the travel centers. With a coupon in the myPilot app, get a free cup of Pilot coffee on Friday or Saturday.

PJ’s Coffee: In addition to National Coffee Day, the chain is celebrating its 40th anniversary Saturday by giving away free 12-ounce cups of Ruby Roast light roast hot coffee.

QuickChek: First-time users of the chain’s mobile app get a free hot or iced coffee on Saturday.

Scooter’s Coffee: Get a free brewed coffee, any size Saturday. No coupon is needed.

Sheetz: Get a free cold brew coffee Saturday when you order through the Sheetz app.

Stewart’s Shops: From noon to close Saturday, get a free hot, iced or cold brew coffee. All sizes and flavors are included.

Taco Cabana: Get a free coffee with any purchase Saturday at participating locations when you tell the cashier code 225. One free cup per guest, per visit.

Wawa: Members of Wawa Rewards can get a free cup of coffee Saturday with a special one-day offer loaded to their accounts. Also, for a limited time, get any size coffee for $1, except at Florida locations. 

More deals: Local coffee shops and smaller chains may also offers free cups or discounts Saturday. An easy way to find out is to check social media.

Deals and discounts

7-Eleven: Through Sunday, with the purchase of breakfast sandwich over $2, get a free coffee. New customers who download the 7-Eleven app and join the loyalty program will get 800 points, which can be redeemed for a free medium coffee.

Baskin-Robbins: Small Cappuccino Blasts are $2.99 in September and October.

Biggby Coffee: All hot brewed coffee is half off from open to close Saturday at participating locations.

Bruegger’s Bagels: Members of Bruegger’s Inner Circle rewards program get a free medium coffee with any purchase through Saturday. Sign up at www.brueggers.com.

Caribou Coffee: With any food purchase Saturday, get a free cup of coffee at participating locations.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: At participating locations, get a free regular coffee with the purchase of a food or bakery item Saturday.

Corner Bakery Café: It’s a two-day deal at the fast-casual chain. All locations will offer a free any size hand-roasted coffee or cold brew (where available) with any purchase on Friday and Saturday.

Duck Donuts: Get a free small coffee with any purchase Saturday.

Dunkin’ Donuts: At participating restaurants nationwide, buy a hot coffee and get a second cup for free Saturday.

Einstein Bros. Bagels: With any food purchase Saturday, get a free cup of brewed coffee at participating locations. Many locations now serve Caribou Coffee.

Harry & David: All specialty coffees will be two for $24 at retail stores now through Oct. 25.

Godiva: At boutique stores, get 25 percent off a single bag of coffee, at outlet mall locations get a free 2-ounce coffee pouch when you buy a single coffee bag and online get 25 percent off a single bag Saturday. Each deal is limited to one per customer.

LaMar’s Donuts & Coffee: Buy a 16-ounce LaMar’s reusable travel mug for $1.19 Saturday and get it filled with coffee for free. The mugs will be available while supplies last.  

Love’s Travel Stops: On Friday and Saturday, 24-ounce coffee and hot beverages will be on sale for $1. Plus, the company said in a news release that the sales will benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Lucky’s Market: Through Sunday at participating stores with cafes, get a 12-ounce drip coffee for a quarter, plus get double points on all coffee drinks with the Lucky’s Rewards app.

Marylou’s Coffee: Medium hot coffee will be 32 cents Saturday in honor of the company’s 32nd anniversary.

McCafé Frappé: McDonald’s bottled McCafé Frappé drinks are sold in participating retailers nationwide and for National Coffee Day, three retailers are offering a deal. At Dollar General, get a digital coupon for a $1 off a bottle. At Kroger, the bottles will be on sale two for $3 and at Target the drinks will be on sale for $2 each. 

McDonald’s: While not a special specific for National Coffee Day, for a limited time get any size McCafé brewed coffee for $1 or a small McCafé espresso drink for $2. Both are part of the fast-food chain’s $1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu. Plus, with the McDonald’s app, purchase five McCafé drinks and get one free.

Nestle Toll House Café by Chip: Buy a 16-ounce Pumpkin Spice Latte Saturday and get a second free with code CoffeeDay18 at participating cafes.

Peet’s Coffee: The chain will have an in-store and online offer. Get 25 percent off one pound of beans and a free drip coffee or tea at participating Peet’s coffeebars.

Speedway: Get a free Belvita breakfast biscuit with the purchase of any size coffee on Friday and Saturday. No coupon required.

Sprinkles Cupcakes: Buy a cupcake Saturday and get a free can of High Brew Coffee.

White Castle: Get a free small coffee with any purchase and a coupon at www.whitecastle.com/summer-savings.

Yesway: Get a free doughnut with a coffee purchase Saturday.

Coffee contests

Chameleon Cold-Brew: The coffee brand is having an Instagram contest Saturday where a month’s supply of cold-brew coffee and swag are up for grabs. Enter by following the Chameleon Instagram page and tagging a friend.

Dove and Dunkin’: The two brands have teamed up and giving away a year’s supply of Dunkin’ coffee and Dove Dry Shampoo. To enter the sweepstakes, submit a photo of your busy morning and share why you run on Dunkin’ coffee and Dove dry shampoo using hashtags #DoveXDunkin and #DxDSweepstakes on Instagram and Twitter or by visiting www.dovexdunkin.com. Entries are open through Nov. 8.

Eight O’Clock: The coffee brand is giving away free bags of coffee from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Saturday on its Facebook page. To enter, comment on the National Coffee Day Facebook post by sharing what variety you want to win. Twelve will win a coffee prize pack. Open to U.S. residents 18 and older.

More: The Best Drip Coffee Makers of 2018

More: You’ve probably been drinking stale coffee your entire adult life

More: The Best Coffee Subscriptions of 2018

More: Where to get a pumpkin spice fix: Hint, the fall flavor isn’t just at Starbucks

Kelly Tyko is a consumer columnist and retail reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Read her Bargainista tips at TCPalm.com/Bargainista, follow her on Twitter @KellyTyko and email her at kelly.tyko@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her weekly newsletter at www.tcpalm.com/newsletters. 

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If the polls are on the money, Democrats are poised to regain a majority in the House, but not the Senate, in the November midterm elections.

They’d need to flip 24 Republican seats in the House. But the two seats they’d need to replicate this in the Senate are likely to remain red, or Republican, polls show.

Policy strategists at Morgan Stanley agree.

“‘Blue House’ (Democrats gain control of the House but not the Senate) remains the most likely outcome,” said Michael Zezas, the chief US policy strategist at Morgan Stanley, in a note to clients on Thursday.

However, the strategists also saw evidence, including polls from FiveThirtyEight and PredictWise, that showed the rising odds of Democrats achieving a so-called blue sweep. And so, they examined how investors can start preparing for what would the unexpected result.

Zezas said investors should be ready for pressure in key sectors of the stock market like pharma, telecom (which was folded into the new communication services sector on Friday), and healthcare services.

It’s a sentiment that’s shared by analysts over at UBS, who said in a recent note that a blue wave could be detrimental to risk assets.

“If Democrats move to impeach President Trump in the House without Republican support, there could be a short-term sell-off in risk assets,” Mike Ryan, the chief investment officer at UBS, said. “However, given the high probability of acquittal in the Senate, there will likely be little to no lasting market impact.”

Should the majority in Congress change, Democrats could make bigger pushes for more price controls on prescription drugs, and enact more regulations on telecoms and healthcare companies, Zezas said.

“A Blue Sweep would be a powerful piece of evidence that the US electorate is more willing to embrace more progressive policies should Democrats’ success extend to the presidential election in 2020,” he said.

The further implications of the midterm outcome revolve around fiscal policy, arguably Republicans’ biggest legislative accomplishment since 2016.

Should they lose, Zezas sees Republicans returning to their traditionally conservative stance on government deficits, and pressuring Democrats to control spending on discretionary programs.

Also, even if Democrats win both chambers of Congress, they would still not have 60 votes in the Senate and would need to use reconciliation to pass infrastructure bills, limiting their efficacy.

Still, Zezas suggested two things investors can do if they have a blue sweep in their purview:

• Add Treasury duration and curve flatteners. A blue sweep “all but eliminates” the possibility that the next Congress will pass a second iteration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, according to Zezas. Also investors may think that some existing provisions could be rolled back or allowed to expire in the medium term. “We recommend 2s10s and 2s30s UST curve flatteners and being long 10y and 30y outright,” Zezas said.
• Add emerging-market risk. Some of the underperformance this year has been attributed to the trade war, and a blue sweep could hint to investors that de-escalation is possible. If markets price in this possibility, it would pay off to already be invested ahead of time.

MacOS Mojave is finally here.

Desktop Stacks, Dark Mode, and new applications (Stocks, News, and Home) are clearly the headline features of Mojave. But there’s lots more under the hood if you know where to look.

We’ve been digging through macOS 10.14 since the first beta dropped in June, and here are 10 features that will will make all the difference in your Mac experience.

1. Dynamic Desktop

Alongside Dark Mode, which darkens the dock, menu bar, and application windows (that support the mode) to a white-on-black layout, there’s also a new option for the image in your desktop background: Dynamic Desktop. Visually, it’s very cool: the lighting in the picture will change throughout the day to reflect your Mac’s current time, even darkening from morning to night. There are only two different Dynamic Desktop designs with the initial release of Mojave, but now you can get more.

2. MacOS software updates are now in Settings

MacOS updates have been arriving through the Mac App Store for for the past few years, but that’s changing with Mojave. There’s nothing really wrong with that system, but it’s not how iOS works, not to mention other platforms (like Windows 10), which put system updates in Settings.

Mojave moves system software updates to a new panel in System Preferences, which, to a lot of people, will make more sense. It’s a straightforward interface and will make it easier to find those critical updates.

3. Favicons in Safari

It’s not like favicons are new, but Apple has finally added support for them in Safari tabs in Mojave. Even though Apple is late to the game with rolling out this support, interested users will need to enable it. It’s also hidden in Safari Preferences and is not prompted at first launch after updating.

Navigate to preferences in Safari, then click Tabs and turn on “Show website icons in tabs.” Once on, you will see favicons from your website on the tabs. It makes it easy to know which tab is which thanks to the visual cue when you have many open.

4. Autofill security codes

Companies and services are continuing to push users to enable two-factor authentication, which makes accounts more secure. With this feature turned on for a specific service (e.g. Twitter), a code will arrive via an SMS message. You then need to go to Messages and copy the code over.

However, in macOS Mojave, it will now auto suggest to fill the code into the respective spot, meaning you shouldn’t have to do all that copy-and-pasting anymore. It’s a simple feature, but one that will undoubtedly come in handy. There’s also an equivalent autofill feature in iOS 12.

5. Emoji selector in Mail

A few years back an emoji in an email might have been seen as childish or inappropriate. In 2018, it’s practically expected.

MacOS Mojave puts an emoji selector feature built into Mail. This allows for quick and easy access to the all the emojis macOS offers. You can also search by keyword to find the one you’re looking for, and the menu automatically populates with the most frequently used symbols.

6. More control over permissions

In recent iterations of iOS and macOS, Apple has begun to ramp up security — both behind the scenes and in plain sight. Mojave allows for individual microphone and camera access, in addition to more granular permissions for applications across the board. With hacking and security being in the news on a daily basis, it’s nice to have minute control.

7. Siri can help with passwords

If you use iCloud Keychain, Apple’s built-in password manager, there’s now a more natural way to access the secure information.

Just ask Siri to show you your password, and it will pull preferences in Safari. You then enter your password or confirm access with Touch ID, which will open a window with all your saved logins. Once this window is unlocked, you can search by app or service to see the password or copy it for easy pasting.

8. Updated UI for FaceTime

Group FaceTime and the incredible ability to video call with up 32 people at once isn’t in Mojave at launch. But at least we get a redesign of the FaceTime user interface.

A new toolbar will appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the FaceTime window allowing you to mute the microphone, shut the camera off, enter full screen, hang up, or open a sidebar. The sidebar will likely be useful for group calls, when they arrive, as you can see who is in the chat.

9. Full metadata in Finder

Alongside the Gallery View in Finder, Apple now lets you see more about your files. 

Specifically for imagery shot on your iPhone or from a professional camera, you now have access to the metadata, and what you see in the summary is customizable. Now you can include things like lens type, aperture, and color type — a big deal to many photographers and photo editors.

10. More accent colors

Apple has always let users switch between two accent colors within macOS: graphite and blue. The accent is the color used for things like the menu drop-down icon, tick boxes, and buttons. For those who really like to customize their Mac experience, it’s a very nice feature to have.

Mojave now includes eight accent colors. The new ones joining the original graphite and blue are purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, and green.