Sybil Wilkes ‘What You Need To Know:’Chinese Hackers Breach America, Mayor Arrested

1. Chinese Hackers Breach America

Chinese Hackers Breach America

What You Need to Know:

The White House and the American tech giant, Microsoft, have confirmed that Chinese hackers breached the email accounts of over twenty American organizations, including some U.S. government agencies. The breach went undetected for over a month. In a statement, the National Security Council confirmed, “Last month, US government safeguards identified an intrusion in Microsoft’s cloud security, which affected unclassified systems.” 

Officials reportedly contacted Microsoft to find the sources of vulnerability in their cloud service. Microsoft admitted the hacking inside government systems occurred more than a month before the breach was detected, and subsequently reported. The access provided by the breach indicates it occurred sometime around May 2023, at least. In addition, the hackers used a stolen sign-in key.

2. Georgia Mayor Khalid Kamau Arrested By His Own Police

Georgia Mayor Khalid Kamau Arrested By His Own Police

WRITTEN & CONTRIBUTED BY KHAMERON RILEY

What You Need to Know:

South Fulton Georgia Mayor Khalid Kamau was arrested Saturday for breaking into a lake house in Fairburn he coveted and confronting the frightened homeowner while snarling, “Do you know who the f–k I am?” police and the victim said. Kamau is charged with criminal trespassing and first-degree burglary. He was released the same day on $11,000 in surety bonds. He is also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

The mayor told officers he was going to a dog park when he stopped by the house, claiming it was his dream home and that he hoped to purchase it one day.

3. Watch Out for These 5 Summer Eye Dangers

Watch Out for These 5 Summer Eye Dangers

What You Need to Know: 

You protect your skin from sunburn and your body from injury, so why not your eyes?

During summertime activities, one specialist has simple advice: Protect your eyes.

Common leisure pursuits (and the outdoors itself) can pose severe and permanent risks to your vision.

“You get two eyes in life; there is no eye transplantation,” says Theresa Cooney, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center. “Once you hurt your eye, that’s what you live with.”

4. Seattle Police Display Mock Tombstone of Shooting Victim in Common Room

Seattle Police Display Mock Tombstone of Shooting Victim in Common Room

WRITTEN & CONTRIBUTED BY COY MALONE

What You Need to Know:

The mother of Damarius Butts, who was killed by Seattle Police in 2017, is demanding an apology after learning officers kept a mock tombstone marking her son’s death on a shelf in a precinct break room. The room at the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct was also decorated with a large “Trump 2020” flag, which is a possible violation of state law and department policy regulating officers’ political involvement while on duty. 

The flag and mock tombstone items were captured on an officer’s body-camera video taken in January 2021, a few months after the precinct became the focal point of protestors for police violence and racism during the national outcry after the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. The video was obtained as part of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Seattle’s graffiti laws, due to officers’ attempting to arrest a group of protesters using chalk and charcoal to write political statements on a precinct exterior wall.

5. What's the 4-1-1 About the 9-8-8 Mental Health Line?

What’s the 4-1-1 About the 9-8-8 Mental Health Line?

WRITTEN & CONTRIBUTED BY APRYLETE RUSSELL

What You Need to Know: 

This month marks one year since the launch of the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline across the country. And despite the increasing volume of calls, data shows a significant gap in awareness with Black individuals being less likely to use the 9-8-8 hotline compared to their White counterparts.

A survey of  5,052 adults conducted by the Pew Charitable Trust revealed that only 13% of the respondents were aware of the national 9-8-8 lifelines, and a striking disparity emerged when comparing awareness levels between White and Black individuals. Twice as many White people were aware of the 9-8-8 hotline, highlighting a critical gap in reaching Black communities.