The Rachel Maddow Show Maddow: Patel picks a bad time to get petty with counterterrorism
33 snips
Sep 29, 2026 Amid rising tensions with Iran, veteran FBI counterterrorism officials are demoted, followed by a massive breach exposing employee data. U.S. and Russian officials reportedly move to loosen human oversight of AI-powered weapons. A First Amendment lawsuit challenges White House press restrictions, while investigative reporting on Russian election interference draws bizarre deepfakes and disinformation attacks.
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Iran War Creates Risks Far Beyond The Battlefield
- The Iran war may expose Americans to retaliatory violence beyond battlefield costs.
- A suspicious incident near a British airbase followed Iran’s warning that bases supporting U.S. operations could become legitimate targets.
Counterterrorism Leaders Demoted Over Harassing Calls
- The FBI removed Washington’s top two counterterrorism officials during an active Iran-related threat environment.
- Sources said the demotions followed an investigation into harassing calls received by Stephen Miller’s wife, despite such calls not typically constituting terrorism.
FBI Hack Exposes Employees And Their Families
- A hacking group reportedly stole sensitive records belonging to tens of thousands of current, former, and prospective FBI personnel.
- Exposed data allegedly included addresses, Social Security numbers, family contacts, assignments, and medical records.
