Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.

Trump barred from Colorado primary ballot for role in US Capitol attack

Summary: The Colorado Supreme Court has voted 4-3 to disqualify former-President Trump from appearing on the state’s primary ballot because of the role he played in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Context: This is being seen as a very big deal, and it’s likely the federal Supreme Court will speed-run its own take on the matter sometime in the next two weeks, as the state has delayed the implementation of this judgement until January 4 to allow for an appeal; the general consensus amongst experts seems to be that although there’s arguably firm legal basis for this ruling, based on a Civil War-era Constitutional rule that says folks who engage in “insurrection or rebellion” can’t hold office, there’s little chance of it holding up at the federal level, the wording of that rule potentially providing a toehold for those who might argue against its applicability in this case, though if it did, we would likely see a cascade of similar cases in other US states which would substantially alter the electoral playing field heading into 2024’s presidential election season.

—Reuters

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Xfinity discloses data breach affecting over 35 million people

Summary: Comcast Cable Communications, which owns internet, TV, and phone service provider Xfinity, has said that hackers who breached one of their servers back in October stole sensitive information pertaining to nearly 36 million of its customers.

Context: The company said that customer usernames and encrypted passwords were taken, alongside other information like names, birthdates, secret questions and answers, contact info, and the last four digits of their social security numbers; the company has prompted its customers to reset their passwords, and has said it’s still looking into the extent of the damage caused and scope of the information stolen; this follows another recent hack of Xfinity in 2022, some the victims in that case losing access to their crypto wallets and other online services, as a consequence.

—Bleeping Computer

India opposition fury as 141 MPs suspended

Summary: On Monday, India’s opposition party accused Prime Minister Modi of anti-democratic acts, following the suspension of 49 more MPs from their party from India’s parliament, which means a total of 141 lawmakers from their party have been recently barred by the government; the most recent bans applied to MPs who were protesting the previous week’s parliamentary security breach, during which two men broke into the parliamentary chamber, jumped up on tables, shouted slogans, and set off canisters of seemingly harmless, colored gas.

Context: These protestors were arrested, as were two more who engaged in the same sort of protest at the same time outside of parliament, and notably this happened on the 22nd anniversary of an attack on India’s parliament which left 14 people, including five of the attackers, dead; these suspensions are being seen by many as indications that Modi and his party are attempting to disempower their opposition, booting them from government, headed toward an anticipated, but not yet scheduled, 2024 election.

—BBC News

Though survey-based data indicate many Americans are still feeling a little ho-hum about the country’s financial situation, the US economy has done far better in 2023 than most analysts expected, and is reportedly in a solid spot to keep the party going in 2024.

—Axios

1.67 terabytes

Volume of private data stolen by hackers who attacked video game company Insomniac, that data then released after the company declined to pay a $2 million ransom.

Insomniac is perhaps best known for its well-reviewed Spider-Man Playstation games, and this data-trove contained footage from an upcoming title based on the Marvel character Wolverine—alongside information about other upcoming games, and the personal information of thousands of current and former company employees.

—The Verge

Trust Click

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