New U.S.-Israeli Plans to Attack Iran, and Trump’s Whistle-Blower Rewards Program

From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Will Jarvis, in for Tracy Mumford. Today's Thursday, October 22nd. Here's what we're covering. The Times has learned that the U.S. and Israel have developed specific plans for restarting strikes on Iran after the midterms. According to U.S. officials and others briefed on the situation, both the Israeli and American militaries have already stepped up exercises in anticipation of the new attacks. That includes flying planes over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was also in Israel this week to discuss the strategy with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plans call for a short, intensive round of strikes, though it's still not clear if the U.S. and Israel will actually follow through. The two countries have repeatedly been on the brink of returning to major combat operations against Iran, only for President Trump. But the U.S. and Israel have already been on the brink of returning to major combat operations against Iran, only for President Trump. That happened as recently as this month, which one U.S. military commander told The Times was causing day-to-day whiplash. If the attacks do go forward, they're likely to target Iran's nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure, with some officials hoping that one more big round of attacks will push Iran's economy over the edge. They think that could force the country to make concessions on its nuclear program and its control of the Strait of Hormuz. But some analysts are skeptical. After each round of the war, so far, Iranian leadership has become less conciliatory, and the country has already promised to retaliate against any major new strikes by expanding its list of targets to include things like data centers and undersea internet cables. One analyst in Tehran said the country is also likely to respond by striking major oil refineries in the Middle East. He said the war had taught Iran that its best leverage against Trump is increasing oil and energy prices because it will hurt the American people. In response to questions from The Times, a White House official said the administration would not comment on military plans that, quote, may or may not exist. Today, I'm thrilled to announce the fraud whistleblower incentive program, Fraud Whistle. President Trump has announced a new $25 million whistleblower program that he says will help crack down on fraud. All Americans will now be able to go to the. Fraud.gov and report cases of corruption and theft of taxpayer dollars in their communities. According to the White House, whistleblowers who come forward with tips that lead to a conviction for fraud, or a significant enforcement action, are eligible for up to $30,000 in reward money. Trump, for his part, said there was no cap, and that people would be eligible for a 1% commission on any fraud they help expose. There are a number of federal programs that reward whistleblowers to the tune of $100,000, hundreds of millions of dollars, in some cases, every year. What President Trump is proposing is quite different. Luke Broadwater is a Times White House correspondent. He says that under existing whistleblower programs, awards are typically determined by a commission or a federal court. But under the president's new plan, Trump said he will personally decide who gets the money. The major concern among experts who work in oversight and who work with whistleblowers, as well as lots of Democrats on Capitol Hill, is that President Trump is not going to be able to get the money that he needs. He's not going to be able to get the money that he needs. President Trump will misuse this program, right? He's essentially given himself a pot of money that he can give out at his discretion to whistleblowers who do things that benefit the president politically. Luke says the first payout, $10,000, has already been awarded to the conservative YouTube personality Nick Shirley, who promoted allegations of fraud among the Somali community in Minnesota. Trump and his allies used those claims as fodder to attack Democrats in the state. One expert at a government watchdog group told The Times that the new whistleblower program incentivizes political provocateurs to target anyone the administration deems an enemy. In a statement, a White House spokeswoman said that the administration has zero tolerance for individuals who steal from Americans and that it's zeroing in on what it called the rampant abuse of taxpayer dollars. Now, three tech updates. First, governments and companies around the world are scrambling after researchers discovered a critical software flaw that's put millions of websites at risk. By some estimates, the vulnerable software known as PHP is embedded in 70% of all sites on the internet, and successful attacks could expose private data or let hackers take control of servers. Security researchers said they discovered the bug using advanced models from OpenAI, and in response, officials and government officials said to patch their systems using new updates. They said that if that wasn't immediately possible, the danger of a hack is so significant that the sites should be temporarily taken offline. Also, a judge in New Mexico has handed down one of the largest penalties ever given to a tech giant. He ordered Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, to pay $25 billion for deceiving users about its data privacy practices. The case involved the Cambridge Analytica scandal from back in 2018, in which a British company got access to the private data of tens of millions of Facebook users without their knowledge. In explaining the huge penalty yesterday, the judge wrote that, Facebook was aware that its users did not understand its privacy settings and took advantage of that to a grossly unfair degree. Meta says it will appeal the judge's decision. It was the latest in a series of recent court losses for the company, as it faces a wave of lawsuits alleging that its social media platforms have harmed users. And last quick tech update. There's a lot to be gained from cooperating on developing superintelligence software, chip design, robotics. Elon Musk could be on the brink of controlling an even bigger business empire. On an earnings call, he said SpaceX and Tesla are exploring a merger, which would create a multi-trillion dollar rocket electric car AI behavior. The idea of combining two of Musk's crown jewels has been kicking around for a while. One analyst the Times talked to said it's easy to imagine why Musk might be interested, describing a hypothetical future in which Tesla robots would be connected by Starlink satellites to X AI data centers. But a potential consolidation has also raised concerns from critics and some lawmakers who believe that Musk, the world's richest person, has already amassed too much power. Musk, Tesla, and SpaceX did not respond, to request for comment. America has a new national park. A bill signed by President Trump this week made it official, giving the highest level of federal protection to what had been Chiricahua National Monument. I mean, this place looks like it belongs in an Avatar movie or a Jurassic Park or something. The park is in Southeast Arizona, about a two-hour drive from Tucson. Wow, I mean, look. Look at this hoodoo. How is this thing even still balanced like that after all these thousands of years? It's spread over 12,000 acres in the Chiricahua Mountains and features a maze of towering rock spires known as hoodoos, which were shaped by ancient volcanic eruptions. The way the mountains rise dramatically out of the surrounding desert makes the park home to what's known as a sky island ecosystem, which is a type of landscape unlike any other in the country. It's incredibly biodiverse with apparently some of the world's best birdwatching. The land also has rich cultural significance as the homeland of the Chiricahua Apache. Chiricahua is the first new national park since 2020 when the distinction went to the New River Gorge in West Virginia with its soaring canyon walls and whitewater rapids. There are now 64 national parks across the country. And finally. Can we talk about one of the most annoying things on public transport? You're on a train. This week, a politician took on one of the greatest, most urgent issues of our time. And then somebody starts blasting videos or music from their phone at full volume. We've all been there. People watching stuff on their phones out loud. The Prime Minister of the UK, Andy Burnham, announced a campaign against listening to music or videos without headphones on public transportation. He urged people to be considerate and pointed to. Existing policies that allow local authorities to fine people up to around $130 for what's been called loudcasting. Cities in other countries have put in place bans and fines too to save you from having to hear someone behind you mindlessly swipe through TikTok. The reality of how this will be enforced in the UK remains to be seen though. And a lot of the people the Times talked with on trains and buses around London were skeptical that anything would change, even with the Prime Minister making it a priority. Now, on the off chance you're only hearing my voice because someone else is, this phone is at full blast. Hi there. I am so, so sorry. We don't condone this behavior. And don't worry. The show is almost over. I promise. Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily. I've covered a lot of elections. I've never covered one in which so many people feel like this election is the most important, the most fateful, the most consequential election in their country's history. The Times' Jerusalem Bureau Chief explains what's at stake in the election. The Times' Jerusalem Bureau Chief explains what's at stake in Israel's upcoming elections. You can find that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Will Jarvis. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest and the Friday News Quiz.