June 7

Amazon hosts NSA surveillance data under a $10B WildandStormy contract

Reporting revealed the specific details of Amazon's "WildandStormy" contract with the NSA, a $10 billion classified cloud agreement that stores and processes signals intelligence data collected on foreign targets but also incidentally captures communications of millions of Americans. The contract's existence had been publicly known since 2020 but its scope and the degree of incidental domestic collection had not been previously reported. NSA Inspector General previously flagged the arrangement for insufficient oversight frameworks.

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Pentagon deploys troops under Title 10 authority to seal the southern border

The Pentagon deployed active-duty military forces to the southern border under Title 10 statutory authority, giving troops law enforcement powers traditionally reserved for civilian agencies. Secretary Hegseth authorized troops to detain migrants and coordinate directly with ICE for transfers. The deployment marked the first time Title 10 forces were granted active detention authority in peacetime domestic operations, raising Posse Comitatus Act concerns.

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US COVID-19 deaths surpass 600,000 surpassing the 1918 flu pandemic toll as vaccination slows

The United States surpasses 600,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, a toll greater than the estimated American deaths in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. At the same time, daily vaccinations slow from a peak of 3.3 million per day in April to under 1 million per day, as the supply outstrips demand among vaccine-hesitant Americans. Biden marks the grim milestone from the White House, noting the country has administered more than 300 million shots. By year-end, more than 800,000 Americans will have died of COVID, more than any other country.

Supreme Court ends indefinite incompetency commitment in Jackson v. Indiana

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Jackson v. Indiana, 406 U.S. 715, that Indiana violated due process and equal protection by committing Theon Jackson — a deaf mute with the mental capacity of a pre-school child — indefinitely to a state institution solely because he could not be tried on two petty robbery charges. The Court held that a defendant found incompetent to stand trial may be held only for the reasonable period necessary to determine whether competency can be restored in the foreseeable future. If restoration is not achievable, the state must either initiate standard civil commitment proceedings or release the defendant.