Patrick Howell O’Neill
@patrickhowelloneill.com
Journalist at Bloomberg News in DC. Signal: @howelloneill.01, email: [email protected] https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AXb8dLPHBFc/patrick-howell-oneill
Feels like is below 0° and everyone outside looks miserable except my god damn dog who becomes happier the colder it gets. Haven’t found his lower limit yet because the limit does not exist
February 7, 2026 at 10:41 PM
Feels like is below 0° and everyone outside looks miserable except my god damn dog who becomes happier the colder it gets. Haven’t found his lower limit yet because the limit does not exist
SF is the most beautiful major American city. Very funny/good to see people who thought it is hell discover this objectively true fact and other amazing things the city has (burritos).
San Francisco is actually beautiful Super Bowl fans discover
This week, the fake narrative of San Francisco as a failed city was laid to rest.
sfstandard.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:31 PM
SF is the most beautiful major American city. Very funny/good to see people who thought it is hell discover this objectively true fact and other amazing things the city has (burritos).
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
Great new reporting by @catebrown.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
NSA detected phone call between foreign intelligence and a person close to Trump
Whistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Great new reporting by @catebrown.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
"Mobile Fortify’s primary function is to expand the number of photos and biometric data that DHS collects by shifting its collection from ports of entry to routine ICE encounters far from US borders."
NEW: Records reviewed by WIRED show DHS’s facial recognition app (Mobile Fortify) isn’t designed to actually "verify" identity—despite DHS claims and its agents relying on its matches to support probable cause in the field.
ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are
ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy r...
www.wired.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:28 PM
"Mobile Fortify’s primary function is to expand the number of photos and biometric data that DHS collects by shifting its collection from ports of entry to routine ICE encounters far from US borders."
"FOIA’s systemic problems meet partisan robo-requests." www.cjr.org/tow_center/t...
Too many FOIA requests, too little transparency.
FOIA’s systemic problems meet partisan robo-requests.
www.cjr.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:00 PM
"FOIA’s systemic problems meet partisan robo-requests." www.cjr.org/tow_center/t...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
Most of the Washington Post’s tech reporters were laid off today, including me. I have loved my time at the paper, which is where I wanted to work from age 15. I take some consolation in not being among the survivors who will have to work harder with less for fewer readers. On to better things.
February 4, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Most of the Washington Post’s tech reporters were laid off today, including me. I have loved my time at the paper, which is where I wanted to work from age 15. I take some consolation in not being among the survivors who will have to work harder with less for fewer readers. On to better things.
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
February 4, 2026 at 7:40 PM
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
In brighter journalism news, the Jersey Vindicator is consistently doing some really good work jerseyvindicator.org/2026/02/04/a...
‘An agency out of control’: Planned ICE detention processing warehouse in Roxbury sparks bipartisan backlash • The Jersey Vindicator
Residents in the Morris County area are pushing back.
jerseyvindicator.org
February 4, 2026 at 9:21 PM
In brighter journalism news, the Jersey Vindicator is consistently doing some really good work jerseyvindicator.org/2026/02/04/a...
If anyone has a head on their shoulders, WaPo's losses should be gains for other newsrooms ready to pick up a ton of good reporters who got laid off today
February 4, 2026 at 4:58 PM
If anyone has a head on their shoulders, WaPo's losses should be gains for other newsrooms ready to pick up a ton of good reporters who got laid off today
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
Exclusive: The U.S. military last year digitally disrupted Iranian air missile defense systems as part of a coordinated operation to destroy the country’s nuclear program, another sign of America’s growing comfort with employing cyber weapons in warfare.
therecord.media/iran-nuclear...
therecord.media/iran-nuclear...
Exclusive: US used cyber weapons to disrupt Iranian air defenses during 2025 strikes
The U.S. military digitally disrupted Iranian air missile defense systems during its operation last year against the country’s nuclear program, some of the most sophisticated action Cyber Command has ...
therecord.media
February 4, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Exclusive: The U.S. military last year digitally disrupted Iranian air missile defense systems as part of a coordinated operation to destroy the country’s nuclear program, another sign of America’s growing comfort with employing cyber weapons in warfare.
therecord.media/iran-nuclear...
therecord.media/iran-nuclear...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
The FBI can’t get into a Washington Post reporter’s phone, in part because it was set to Lockdown Mode. www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-...
FBI Couldn’t Get into WaPo Reporter’s iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled
Lockdown Mode is a sometimes overlooked feature of Apple devices that broadly make them harder to hack. A court record indicates the feature might be effective at stopping third parties unlocking some...
www.404media.co
February 4, 2026 at 2:18 PM
The FBI can’t get into a Washington Post reporter’s phone, in part because it was set to Lockdown Mode. www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-...
New: How ICE’s top contractor, one of America’s biggest private prison operators, monetizes virtually everything ICE does including bounties on immigrants, rapidly expanding detention centers, and intensive surveillance. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
ICE Bounty Hunting Push Aided by Geo Group’s Surveillance Work
A private prison operator that’s profited by detaining immigrants in the US is rapidly shifting to offer surveillance tools, capitalizing on the government’s deportation push by selling human-tracking...
www.bloomberg.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:20 PM
New: How ICE’s top contractor, one of America’s biggest private prison operators, monetizes virtually everything ICE does including bounties on immigrants, rapidly expanding detention centers, and intensive surveillance. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
Exclusive: DOJ is requiring all 93 US attorneys to designate prosecutors for "emergency jump teams" supporting surge districts dealing with assaults & obstruction of federal officers, per internal memo. Comes as more Minn. prosecutors resign. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
DOJ Demands Emergency Surge Prosecutors From All US Attorneys
The Justice Department is requiring all US attorneys to rapidly assign prosecutors for “emergency jump teams” supporting districts handling alleged assaults or obstruction of law enforcement, accordin...
news.bloomberglaw.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Exclusive: DOJ is requiring all 93 US attorneys to designate prosecutors for "emergency jump teams" supporting surge districts dealing with assaults & obstruction of federal officers, per internal memo. Comes as more Minn. prosecutors resign. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
The Post describes how DHS is now using 'administrative subpoenas' as a form of domestic surveillance, apparently to intimidate those engaged in lawful activity & speech. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
February 3, 2026 at 5:27 PM
The Post describes how DHS is now using 'administrative subpoenas' as a form of domestic surveillance, apparently to intimidate those engaged in lawful activity & speech. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
"Homeland Security had come after him with what's known as an administrative subpoena, a powerful legal tool that, unlike the ones people are most familiar with, federal agencies can issue without an order from a judge or grand jury." www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon
Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has weaponized administrative subpoenas to attack free speech, according to privacy and civil rights groups.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:31 PM
"Homeland Security had come after him with what's known as an administrative subpoena, a powerful legal tool that, unlike the ones people are most familiar with, federal agencies can issue without an order from a judge or grand jury." www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Federal immigration agents are using facial recognition technology that draws from US government biometric databases containing over 1.2 billion face images www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
DHS Face-Scanning App Pulls From 1.2 Billion‑Image Database
Federal immigration agents are using facial recognition technology that draws from US government biometric databases containing more than 1.2 billion face images, according to federal records reviewed...
www.bloomberg.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Federal immigration agents are using facial recognition technology that draws from US government biometric databases containing over 1.2 billion face images www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit searches X office, Musk summoned - www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit searches X office, Musk summoned
Prosecutors ordered the tech billionaire to face questions in April related to a widening investigation into the X social media platform.
www.reuters.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:22 AM
Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit searches X office, Musk summoned - www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
New: Together with colleagues I’ve been testing Grok.
The chatbot still produces sexualized images —
even when told the subjects don’t consent.
even when told the photos will be used for public humiliation.
even when told the subjects are survivors of abuse.
www.reuters.com/business/des...
The chatbot still produces sexualized images —
even when told the subjects don’t consent.
even when told the photos will be used for public humiliation.
even when told the subjects are survivors of abuse.
www.reuters.com/business/des...
Exclusive: Despite new curbs, Elon Musk’s Grok at times produces sexualized images - even when told subjects didn’t consent
Elon Musk’s flagship artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, continues to generate sexualized images of people even when users explicitly warn that the subjects do not consent, Reuters has found.
www.reuters.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:37 AM
New: Together with colleagues I’ve been testing Grok.
The chatbot still produces sexualized images —
even when told the subjects don’t consent.
even when told the photos will be used for public humiliation.
even when told the subjects are survivors of abuse.
www.reuters.com/business/des...
The chatbot still produces sexualized images —
even when told the subjects don’t consent.
even when told the photos will be used for public humiliation.
even when told the subjects are survivors of abuse.
www.reuters.com/business/des...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
In a new letter to lawmakers, DNI Gabbard confirms her presence in Fulton County was “requested by the President” www.cnn.com/2026/02/02/p...
DNI Gabbard put Trump on the phone with FBI agents who searched Fulton County elections office, sources say | CNN Politics
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard put President Donald Trump on the phone with some of the FBI agents who conducted a controversial search of an elections office in Fulton County, Georgi...
www.cnn.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:51 AM
In a new letter to lawmakers, DNI Gabbard confirms her presence in Fulton County was “requested by the President” www.cnn.com/2026/02/02/p...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
“The facial recognition searches tap into DHS’s two primary biometric databases: Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology, or HART, and Automated Biometric Identification System, or IDENT, according to DHS’s Office of Biometric Identity Management.”
DHS Face-Scanning App Pulls From 1.2 Billion‑Image Database
Federal immigration agents are using facial recognition technology that draws from US government biometric databases containing more than 1.2 billion face images, according to federal records reviewed...
www.bloomberg.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:20 PM
“The facial recognition searches tap into DHS’s two primary biometric databases: Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology, or HART, and Automated Biometric Identification System, or IDENT, according to DHS’s Office of Biometric Identity Management.”
Federal immigration agents including ICE and CBP are using facial recognition technology that draws from US government biometric databases containing more than 1.2 billion face images www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
DHS Face-Scanning App Pulls From 1.2 Billion‑Image Database
Federal immigration agents are using facial recognition technology that draws from US government biometric databases containing more than 1.2 billion face images, according to federal records reviewed...
www.bloomberg.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Federal immigration agents including ICE and CBP are using facial recognition technology that draws from US government biometric databases containing more than 1.2 billion face images www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 9:10 PM
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
The flip side to this is federal agencies like DHS getting ready to deploy stuff like "CounselAI" for their legal offices. It's going to generate content that will be used in litigation. The future of law is going to involve a lot of legalslop.
February 1, 2026 at 8:00 PM
The flip side to this is federal agencies like DHS getting ready to deploy stuff like "CounselAI" for their legal offices. It's going to generate content that will be used in litigation. The future of law is going to involve a lot of legalslop.
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
Poland releases details on December’s cyberattack on their energy infrastructure, noting similarities to prior FSB activity. The wiper has been attributed by others to Sandworm (GRU). Attribution is definitely not super clear yet. 1/x cert.pl/uploads/docs...
cert.pl
January 30, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Poland releases details on December’s cyberattack on their energy infrastructure, noting similarities to prior FSB activity. The wiper has been attributed by others to Sandworm (GRU). Attribution is definitely not super clear yet. 1/x cert.pl/uploads/docs...
Reposted by Patrick Howell O’Neill
Every journalist whose theat model includes this administration/the federal government needs to be aware of this. Signal for desktop + touch ID + they have a warrant = the feds can read any of your signal messages that haven't disappeared.
The FBI was able to access Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Signal messages because she used Signal on her work laptop. The laptop accepted Touch ID for authentication, meaning the agents were allowed to require her to unlock it. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 31, 2026 at 11:37 PM
Every journalist whose theat model includes this administration/the federal government needs to be aware of this. Signal for desktop + touch ID + they have a warrant = the feds can read any of your signal messages that haven't disappeared.