87 Foreign Cruise Ship Employees Removed For Possession Of Child Abuse Material

 Federal authorities have now pulled 87 foreign crew members off cruise ships under Operation Tidal Wave, a Customs and Border Protection initiative aimed at child sexual abuse material aboard the vessels.

Six Philippine nationals on a cruise ship at the Port of Boston admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material, according to a Sept. 25 CBP statement. Julio Caravia, CBP's acting director of field operations, said authorities won't tolerate the exploitation of children and that the agency will keep identifying and arresting those involved.

The multiagency operation, led by CBP, targets crew members tied to the possession, production, procurement, distribution, or use of child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

As the Epoch Times notes further, the current phase of the operation has been in effect since mid-August, with 41 crew members removed in two previous phases.

In phase 1 of Operation Tidal Wave, which took place in San Diego in April, administrative enforcement actions were taken against 27 crew members from six vessels. These people were processed for removal and sent back to their home nations.

In phase 2, which took place in San Juan during June-July, enforcement actions were taken against 14 crew members from three vessels.

In the case of the Philippine nationals, they were processed for removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act. This provision makes foreign nationals who admit to committing acts involving moral turpitude inadmissible into the United States.

CBP clarified that under federal law, people involved with child sexual exploitation material can face severe penalties, including removal from the country, 10-year inadmissibility into the United States, and criminal prosecution.

In addition to CBP, Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force were also part of the operation.

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), its CyberTipline received more than 21 million reports last year related to child exploitation. CyberTipline receives reports of suspected child sexual exploitation from the public and electronic service providers.

More than 19 million reports were related to the manufacture, possession, and distribution of child pornography. Other reports included child sex trafficking, child sexual molestation, online enticement of children for sexual acts, and unsolicited obscene material sent to children.

In Operation Relentless Justice, conducted last year to tackle child exploitation in the country, 205 child victims were located, and 293 alleged offenders were arrested. And in April, the month-long Operation Iron Pursuit resulted in more than 200 child victims being rescued and more than 350 alleged offenders being arrested nationwide.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/87-foreign-cruise-ship-employees-removed-possession-child-abuse-material

Vance reports close to $250B in fraud findings

 United States Vice President JD Vance said that officials have uncovered close to $250 billion in fraudulent activity since he began leading the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

"We've found close to $250B in fraud just since I've been leading the anti-fraud task force," Vance said during a healthcare summit. We've just started to scratch the surface here," he added.

He also criticized those encouraging unauthorized individuals to sign up for Social Security benefits, saying, "you're not protecting Social Security, you're destroying it."

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Vance-reports-close-to-dollar250B-in-fraud-findings/67200731

What Your Attention Is Really Worth on Social Networks

 

Between Meta, Reddit, Snap and Pinterest, one user is not worth the same at all. The apparent spread runs from one to nine, but the counting methods differ. It is precisely in their ability to better monetize their audience that analysts still see as much as 58% upside potential for Pinterest, 49% for Reddit and 41% for Snap.

Let's do a somewhat brutal calculation. In Q2, each daily active person across the family of Meta apps generated an average of $16.86 in quarterly revenue. At Snap, which measures the exact same thing, a daily user brought in only $3.25, i.e. five times less.

That's the real issue when investing in social networks. It's not the number of users that matters, but rather the price advertisers are willing to pay to reach them.

The mechanics, in three steps

The model fits in one sentence. These companies buy your time with free content, turn it into ad inventory, then sell that inventory at auction.

The more active users a platform has, the more opportunities it has to show ads. The better it knows you, the more it can promise advertisers they will reach the right person, and the more it charges. And the bigger it is, the more advertisers compete for each placement, pushing prices higher.

Meta illustrates this perfectly. In the second quarter, the number of ads shown rose 14% and their average price rose 12%. Volume and price rise together. That is the full power of the flywheel.

The ranking of those who know how to monetize

 Source: Company Q2 results                                                                                                                                           

One warning before interpreting this table. Meta, Reddit and Snap report daily users, Pinterest reports monthly users, which are mechanically more numerous. Comparing the raw figures therefore amounts to comparing apples and oranges.

The real takeaway is elsewhere. Reddit, which has four times fewer daily users than Snap, already brings in half its revenue and is posting exceptional growth.

Reddit, the catch-up machine

Its revenue per user jumped 36% in a year. It reaches $11.85, up 51% in the United States.

The explanation comes down to two points. An internet user searching for an opinion on a power drill is far closer to a purchase than a user scrolling through videos, which makes the audience valuable to advertisers. And the platform started from very far behind, having long under-monetized its community. The number of active advertisers has risen by over 70% in a year.

The geographic gap sums up the remaining potential. A US user brings in $11.85 per quarter, versus $2.26 for an international user, i.e. five times more. Every point of monetization gained outside the United States translates directly into revenue.

Snap, the audience without the price

The counterexample is instructive. With 493m daily users, the audience is massive, but monetization is capped at $3.25.

The problem shows up in the geography. North American users, the most lucrative, fell 7% y-o-y to 92m. Growth therefore comes from regions where ads sell for the lowest prices.

The group is also trying to accelerate direct revenue with a subscription service. Snapchat+ and related services generated $316m in Q2, up 85%. When advertising saturates, you have to sell something else. The potential is high because fewer than 3% of its monthly users subscribe to a paid offering.

The question worth a 50% rally

This is where the stock market steps in, and the contrast is striking. Since January 1, Meta is up 8.4% while Pinterest is down -28.9%, Snap -35.3% and Reddit -37.8%.

Consensus, meanwhile, is betting on a spectacular catch-up for the three most battered platforms.

 Source: MarketScreener Consensus at September 29, 2026                                                                                         

That is the promise of a fixed-cost model. With much of the infrastructure already in place, an increase in ad revenue can translate into a sharp rise in earnings.

Meta, meanwhile, is already shifting ground

The giant has launched its artificial intelligence agent, Muse, and has just announced the creation of Meta Enterprise Platform, presented by Mark Zuckerberg as a new pillar of the group aimed at businesses.

The signal is strong. To lead this business, Meta poached the CEO of MongoDB (a database publisher), Chirantan Desai, effective immediately.

Jefferies believes Muse could become a new monetization lever and maintains a $875 target, highlighting a valuation of only 19x expected 2028 earnings. For smaller platforms, the message is less encouraging. The ability to innovate requires colossal resources.

What could derail the thesis

AI contracts are volatile. In November 2025, Snap announced a $400m deal with Perplexity and jumped 16%. A few months later, the two companies ended their partnership, and forecasts no longer include a dollar from that contract. In July, the US press mentioned a possible non-renewal of the agreement between Google and Reddit, and the stock immediately slipped.

The AI bill is heavy. Meta is planning up to $145bn in investments in 2026, and its operating margin fell from 43% to 31% in a year.

At the same time, with the advertising cycle remaining relentless, advertisers' budgets are among the first to be cut in a slowdown.

Finally, regulation is tightening. Meta booked $2.4bn in legal charges in the second quarter and cites US lawsuits over the protection of minors that could lead to a significant loss.

On these platforms, the question is never how many users, but how much each one is worth. And it is the answer to that question, far more than audience growth, that will decide the fate of these four stocks.

https://www.marketscreener.com/news/what-your-attention-is-really-worth-on-social-networks-ce785addda8df226

NYC judge orders Mamdani to redo second-home tax rollout

 A New York judge on Tuesday canceled previously mailed notices for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s second-home tax, ruling that the city failed to follow required procedures before mailing the notices.

Judge Wayne Ozzi found that the notices were "arbitrary and capricious, affected by errors of law, and in violation of the recipients’ due process rights," according to the ruling.

Despite the ruling, the policy itself might still survive. Ozzi added that the city can still apply the tax by removing the current list of taxed properties from its website and posting a corrected list after following the proper procedures.

New notices must then be mailed in compliance with the law.

Tuesday's decision is a legal speedbump for Mamdani as he approaches nearly a year since he was elected New York City mayor and is among a handful of other legal challenges he faces as he attempts to implement government-first approaches to promises to bring down costs of living, expand housing and increase public transportation.

In addition to his second-home tax, Mamdani has also faced legal pushback on his rent freeze plan, which landlords have characterized as overly punitive, his state-sponsored grocery store plan, which has sparked challenges from the National Supermarket Association and what they see as unfair competition and challenges to specialized high school admissions that some parents believe unfairly discriminates against Asian-American enrollees. 

Mamdani announced the second-home tax back in April.

In its original form, it was designed to levy an annual surcharge on one to three family homes, condominiums and co-ops valued at above $5 million. It also only applied to owners who also had additional property outside of New York City.

"Thanks to the support of Governor Hochul, we are one step closer to balancing our budget by taxing the ultra-wealthy and global elites with a pied-à-terre tax — the first of its kind in our state. Alongside the governor, our administration is fighting every day to make sure we address this fiscal deficit fairly, where the wealthy contribute what they owe and our budget reflects our commitment to the working New Yorkers being priced out of our city," Mamdani said in a press release at the time.

Asked about the plan after Tuesday's decision, representatives for Mamdani said the mayor would stand by his plan. 

Matt Rauschenbach, a spokesperson for the mayor, defended the tax rollout, arguing that the pied-à-terre surcharge is a "basic principle of fairness" that supports a city he said should not be a "tax haven for the wealthy few."

"If you can afford a luxury second home in New York City, you can afford to pay your fair share for the schools, streets and parks that make this city work," Rauschenbach said.

"Our administration is fighting every day to deliver for working New Yorkers. The ultra-wealthy are fighting in court to avoid paying their fair share. They have filed lawsuit after lawsuit to protect their privilege, and we will not back down.

"Today’s decision is wrong, and we will invoke a stay of the injunction. With a stay, we will continue implementing the surcharge fairly, efficiently and in full compliance with the law, as we have since day one."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nyc-judge-orders-mamdani-redo-second-home-tax-rollout

'TSA officers now not allowed to sit down while checking boarding passes and IDs'

 Airport security employees checking boarding passes and IDs will no longer be allowed to sit down while working, the Transportation Security Administration confirmed Tuesday.

All chairs are being removed from the travel document checker podiums at the entrance to checkpoints nationwide, the union representing the screeners said. The American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100 said it found out about the decision from its members and called it a “disregard for workers rights and safety.”

TSA defended the move, saying the document checkers are the first to interact with the traveling public and requiring them to stand will create a better experience for passengers.

“This welcome change reinforces both our security posture and our commitment to hospitality by having these officers on their feet and alert,” the agency said in a statement. “All officers must meet fitness for duty requirements to be capable of performing their vital national security function while simultaneously creating a welcoming and professional environment for travelers.”

The move comes nearly two months after TSA Administrator David Cummins was confirmed to lead the agency.

The removal of chairs, the union said, has already begun in most commercial airports. There was no formal notification to AFGE or any of its local chapters, according to one union leader.

“These chairs serve as basic ergonomic and safety support for officers that stand and walk on hard surfaces all day,” the AFGE Council 100 statement read. “TSA is treating this matter like it is a privilege – it is not; it is basic safety and common decency for the workforce.”

As TSA approaches the 25th anniversary of its founding in November, Cummins has held meetings to “rapidly advance key strategic initiatives” as part of a program dubbed Horizon 25.

“TSA does not have to choose between a secure checkpoint, an efficient checkpoint, and an elevated passenger experience,” he said in a statement announcing the initiative.

The program includes expanding TSA PreCheck, rolling out new technology, privatizing some checkpoints and “improving the passenger experience.” It’s not clear whether requiring officers to stand while checking documents relates to this overhaul.

https://abc7ny.com/story/tsa-officers-now-not-allowed-sit-down-checking-boarding-passes-ids/19889569/

Bessent: US will keep isolating Iran's enablers

 United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington won't tolerate any support to the Iranian regime and will continue to "identify, expose, and isolate Iran's enablers."

"Under Operation Economic Outcast, Treasury will continue to target and disrupt those who provide material, technological, or financial support that allows the Iranian regime to sustain its terrorist enterprise," Bessent wrote on X.

The statement came after the US Treasury sanctioned 10 individuals and entities, accusing them of procuring weapons and weapons components for Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Bessent:-US-will-keep-isolating-Iran's-enablers/67200713

Burnham: Brexit has done more harm than good

 British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said at the Labour Party conference on Tuesday that Brexit "has done more harm than good" and that his government will work on the future relationship with the European Union at a summit later this year. He said the United Kingdom and the EU will seek to collaborate on immigration, claiming that the UK "lost some of our control over immigration after Brexit." He added that he will push for "gains for our British industries most harmed by Brexit."

Burnham said that the summit will also be an opportunity to set out the different options for the UK's long-term ties with the EU, "and I will see if we can find consensus around one."

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Burnham:-Brexit-has-done-more-harm-than-good/67198107