Samuel Tunick gave border agents a passcode that wiped his phone, and the government made him the first American ever charged with that crime.
The agents had no warrant. They pulled him into a back room at the Atlanta airport and refused his requests for a lawyer. The Justice Department wants to put him in prison for five years. Meanwhile, over the last two days, a coordinated cyberattack knocked water systems offline in more than 30 Minnesota communities, and nobody in the government can say who did it.
Somehow, the federal government found prosecutors for one man’s passcode and has not hired a director for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in a year and a half, despite being at war since February.
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U.S. diplomats walk out on France at the U.N. after its mission says America now stands with North Korea and Russia on human rights.
Today’s GovBrief News
Zelenskyy presses Trump for Patriot missile production licenses in closed-door White House talks after Ukraine's deadliest civilian month since April 2022.
Source: Euronews
July 28, 2026
Trump and Netanyahu call their first meeting since launching the Iran war productive, hours after Trump publicly scoffed at Netanyahu's Iranian nuclear site warnings.
Source: Axios
July 28, 2026
U.S. and Saudi jets strike Iran-backed militias across Iraq hours after Iran's surprise missile barrage at American forces ends a four-day pause in fighting.
Source: CBS News
July 28, 2026
FDA official insists the food supply is safe as parasite infections hit 11,000 cases and the agency's only named source tests negative.
Source: The Hill
July 28, 2026
Trump administration kills the $3.6 billion subsidy holding down Medicare drug premiums, raising 2027 costs for most of 25 million Part D enrollees.
Source: The Wall Street Journal [gift link]
July 28, 2026
Energy Department names Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah as potential nuclear waste hosts while seeking to scrap the law requiring Yucca Mountain storage.
Source: The Independent
July 28, 2026
Appeals panel declines to block Trump's mail voting order on procedural grounds one day after he asked the Supreme Court to revive it in a separate blocked case.
Source: The Associated Press
July 28, 2026
Coordinated cyberattack knocks water utilities offline across more than 30 Minnesota communities, with one town warning residents its tower held limited reserves.
Source: State Scoop
July 28, 2026
Air Force orders Joint Base Charleston renamed Joint Base Lindsey Graham as the senator lies in the Capitol Rotunda, 17 days after his death.
Source: The State Columbia
July 28, 2026
Senate confirms Manhattan prosecutor Jay Clayton as intelligence director hours after the acting chief announced a fifth round of staff cuts since June.
Source: NBC News
July 28, 2026
Trump asks the Supreme Court to void E. Jean Carroll's $83.3 million defamation award, arguing presidential immunity covers his denials of sexually abusing her.
Source: UPI
July 28, 2026
DOJ brings first known charges against a citizen for giving border agents a duress passcode that wiped his phone during a warrantless airport search.
Source: TechCrunch
July 28, 2026
Florida executes two men hours apart, its first same-day executions since 1964, putting to death an 80-year-old and a former police officer.
Source: CNN
July 28, 2026
New federal rule cancels asylum interviews for up to 444,000 cases, sending applicants who entered legally straight to deportation proceedings.
Source: The Los Angeles Times
July 28, 2026
Kentucky Gov. Beshear demands McConnell prove he can serve or resign after 43 days without a vote, asking Senate leader Thune to investigate his condition.
Source: WLKY Louisville
July 28, 2026
Trump eulogizes Graham as a force of nature at Washington National Cathedral, calling the senator's sister and appointed successor his proudest legacy.
Source: Spectrum News
July 28, 2026
Arbitrator rules HHS illegally fired 5,000 probationary employees, finding the mass terminations a reduction in force masquerading as performance dismissals.
Source: Federal News Network
July 28, 2026
St. Petersburg opens hurricane recovery programs offering buyers up to $80,000 and purchasing flood-prone homes to permanently convert into open space.
Source: Florida Politics
July 28, 2026
New Jersey Gov. Sherrill refuses DOJ's demand for personal data on 6,600 mistakenly registered noncitizens the administration has threatened to deport.
Source: Politico
July 28, 2026