This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In a San Francisco courtroom, the Clorox Company recently dropped a legal bombshell – a $380 million lawsuit against Indian-American information technology company Cognizant, alleging gross negligence in a 2023 cyberattack.
In the complaint dated July 22, 2025, Clorox contends a hacker simply called Cognizant's helpdesk, lied about being an employee and was handed network credentials – no identity verification, no oversight, just a password transfer. The resulting cyberattack ended up paralyzing Clorox's operations, costing upwards of $49 million in remediation and much more in lost business.
Offshoring ecosystem under the microscope
Cognizant, though officially headquartered in New Jersey, was founded in Chennai, India in 1994, and now employs over 250,000 people across India, providing everything from software development to helpdesk services for global corporations. Industry analysts have warned that shifting U.S. companies' sensitive customer data offshore exposes Americans to significant privacy risks. India lacks comprehensive data privacy laws or an enforcement body like the Federal Trade Commission.
While offshoring offers cheap labor and scalability, it also creates layers of separation between U.S.-based clients and the employees handling their data. Those layers can conceal critical weaknesses.
Clorox case: A failed firewall
In Clorox's telling, the hacker didn't crack advanced encryption or "spear-phish" executives. He just called Cognizant on the phone and lied about who and what he was. That was enough. Cognizant agents reset the account, handed over passwords and reopened Clorox's VPN access without a single identity check. Agents reportedly said phrases like: "Here's the password … Welcome …"
Cognizant disputes the claim, saying its contract with Clorox, dating back to 2013, covered only helpdesk tasks, not broader cybersecurity responsibilities. Cognizant characterized Clorox's own defenses as "inept," calling the attack partly Clorox's fault.
Is Clorox an isolated scandal or a warning sign?
India is a developing nation – its legal structures, enforcement mechanisms and low-level infrastructure are still evolving. While not a "third-world country" in the academic sense, the country certainly lacks the same data-privacy enforcement ecosystem as the U.S.
Critics point to the absence of comprehensive federal data-privacy laws and raise concerns about bribery, corruption and crime embedded at both business and government levels.
That helps explain why U.S. companies outsourcing to India may unknowingly be entrusting critical personal identification information (PII) to far-away work environments with less accountability and weaker deterrents to crime.
What happens next?
Clorox's lawsuit is likely to go to trial. If Clorox prevails, other clients served by Cognizant or similar foreign vendors may begin re-examining their risk exposure. Investors and corporate boards may start pushing for deeper scrutiny of offshored operations. Client companies may begin demanding much stricter contractual audits and identity verification procedures – or else bring those services back onshore in America.
More than a tale of cost-savings gone wrong, the Clorox-Cognizant lawsuit serves as a cautionary tale, dramatizing how a model built on offshoring for the sake of lowering labor costs can sometimes yield disastrous results.
Put simply, for agents to literally hand over passwords without questions is not just a breach, but a major wake-up call.
Clorox's case could foreshadow more lawsuits, more revelations and a broader re-evaluation of whether Americans' personal identification information should be in the hands of unmonitored call centers thousands of miles away.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A federal appeals court has handed a victory to the owners of a family farm – now shut down – that was attacked, prosecuted and convicted by a federal agency that claimed the authority to act as both prosecutor and judge.
According to the Institute for Justice, the victory for Sun Valley Orchards' owners comes from a panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
That unanimous ruling was that the actions of the Department of Labor violated the Constitution and the charges against the farm had to be brought to a neutral court.
The federal agency had imposed some $500,000 in penalties, mostly for paperwork mistakes, in the case. Then the agency went to its own court, prosecuted and convicted the owners.
"The Department of Labor (DOL) first targeted Sun Valley Orchards for penalties in 2016, beginning a years-long legal odyssey through the DOL's administrative courts. Sun Valley's owners, Joe and Russell Marino, teamed up with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file a federal lawsuit challenging DOL's system of in-house courts in 2021," the IJ said.
"The upshot of the Third Circuit's decision is that the days of the Department of Labor imposing liability through its own in-house courts are over," explained IJ lawyer Rob Johnson. "Employers will have the right to defend themselves before a real judge, not an agency employee. That's a win for basic fairness and for small businesses across the country."
The IJ reported the victory followed the Supreme Court's precedent in Jarkesy, v. SEC, a case that similarly challenged an administrative court system at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
That ruling said the SEC was required to press its case in a federal court in front of a jury.
"This is a huge relief for my family, after years spent fighting for a fair chance to clear our name," said Joe. "We've been dragged through the mud, and it seemed impossible to fight back."
Because of the years-long and costly fight against the agency's warfare, the family shut down their farm several years ago.
"Today's decision vindicates a right of enormous importance to everyone in America." said IJ Attorney Bob Belden. "When a federal agency wants to take your money as punishment, it must prove its case against you in a real court, not in agency courts where the government plays investigator, prosecutor, judge, and jury."
The IJ said it also is representing a Maryland landscaping company that also is challenging the DOL in-house adjudication agenda.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Officials with the Penske truck-rental company are now complaining that U.S. border-enforcement officers are using their trucks to round up illegal aliens in Los Angeles.
They said the cargo areas of the trucks are not for passengers.
But Homeland Security officials responded with a zinger, pointing out that the company was totally silent when law enforcement officers found 58 migrants "crammed" into another Penske truck.
That was a case of alleged human smuggling.
Homeland Security said, on social media, "Care to remind the American people what Penske said when this happened? Silence speaks volumes. … The brave agents of @ICEgov and #CBP will continue carrying out their mission to protect Americans."
The human smuggling case was from two years ago, in Texas, when Marquez Oviel, an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested and charged with human smuggling counts.
Social media commenters took advantage of the company's statement, with, "Have you considered crying about it?" and "Okay well now I will never rent a Penske truck for the rest of my life."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
One would think that an institution called "Aloha High School" might be allowed to honor the first king of Hawaii, Kamehameha, with its logo – but it will no longer be tolerated.
The Beaverton, Oregon, high school received a bit of pushback last year over its longtime logo, which represents the team name, the "warriors."
Here is the former logo, considered "inappropriate" by some, featuring King Kamehameha:
While the school will keep the moniker "warriors," the new symbol representing the name will be a wolf, officially introduced with the new school year.
As KOIN-TV reports, Oregon has prohibited public schools from using Native American mascots and team names, unless they reached an agreement with federally recognized tribes across the state, since July 2017.
While the school's mascot depicts the first king of Hawaii instead of a Native American figure, and "warriors" is permitted as a team name as long as it isn't combined by imagery associated with American Indian Tribes, Aloha High School revealed in spring 2024 that several people had raised an issue with its branding.
Subsequently, a committee was formed to consider replacing the iconic Kamehameha.
Apparently, part of the problem with the king is his "specific gender."
"In the Beaverton School District and at Aloha High School, we believe that all students belong," the district said on its website. "We're committed to ensuring that all aspects of our school culture reflect this inclusivity, including our mascot. As a district, we're moving away from school mascots that depict human figures or specific genders, as these types of mascots do not connect to or represent all students."
The student body eventually voted to approve a new logo depicting a howling "warrior" wolf. It is unclear what gender the wolf identifies as.
While countless schools and professional sports teams have changed mascots to assuage community sensitivities in recent years, the Trump administration is restoring "inappropriate" names of military bases and other facilities that had been 86'd during the Biden years.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The U.S. Army lifted its lockdown at Fort Stewart in Georgia on Wednesday after an active shooter incident caused at least five casualties among U.S. soldiers.
The five injured soldiers are all in stable condition, and the suspect, a U.S. Army sergeant at the base, is in custody after being tackled by fellow soldiers.
The suspect is identified as Sgt. Quornelius Radford, assigned to a sustainment unit in the 2nd Brigade at Ft. Stewart.
"The shooting occurred at the soldier's place of work," said Brig. Gen. John Lubas, 3rd Infantry commanding general. "I would also like to thank the brave soldiers who immediately intervened and subdued the shooter. These soldiers, without a doubt, prevented further casualties."
"It was not a military weapon. It was a personal handgun."
"We're still not certain about the motivations."
Fox News reported that the five shots were soldiers who were treated at the scene before being transported to a local hospital.
"We are currently assessing the situation, but we can confirm an active shooter," Lt. Col. Angel Tomko said.
The Associated Press reports: "A post on Fort Stewart's Facebook page told all personnel in the locked down area to 'stay inside, close and lock all windows and doors.'"
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "The President has been briefed on the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia. The White House is monitoring the situation."
The shooting reportedly began in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area.
Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River, with 15,000 active duty soldiers.
Gov. Brian Kemp said on X: "As we remain in close contact with law enforcement on the ground, Marty, the girls, and I are saddened by today's tragedy at Ft. Stewart. We are keeping the victims, their families, and all those who answer the call to serve in our hearts and prayers, and we ask that Georgians everywhere do the same."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Male role models aren't what they used to be, when John Wayne shot up bad guys on screen in "True Grit" and Clint Eastwood threatened, "Make my day."
Now one such "male role model" is, in fact, a woman.
According to the Telegraph in the United Kingdom, it is in a primary school, Streatham Wells School in London, where Ellen Page, now calling herself Elliott, has been positioned as a positive example of masculinity for students.
Page is a Canadian actor born female who now calls herself a man. Page is perhaps best known for her role as a pregnant teen in 2007's "Juno" and starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in 2010's "Inception."
The school promotes Page as a man who shows masculinity "can mean softness and strength."
The publication reported it was in an article for a newsletter called Teachwire that Sarah Wordlaw, the head teacher, explained her agenda to influence children.
She wrote, in the report, "It is important to teach pupils about harmful stereotypes about masculinity. However, if the first time we teach and name masculinity is calling it toxic, that could do more damage than good to our boys. It is extremely important to teach about positive masculinities. We need to encourage empathy, kindness, showing emotions, listening to alternative points of view and developing emotional literacy."
She continued, "Undoing the deeply ingrained gender stereotypes in our society takes time. It's certainly not a quick fix. We have seen a significant improvement in children's awareness of key issues surrounding gender equality. They know how to use their voice to advocate for others."
She said next will be indoctrination in the school curriculum.
"This is not just representation of the amazing, strong women who have shaped global history, but also representation of positive masculinity," she explained. "We need to show that to be a man is not to be simply one thing."
According to the Christian Institute, the school is facing online criticism for its agenda, with one commenter explaining, "Elliot Page is female and everyone knows it, including herself. This is lying to children and promoting a dangerous ideology."
Another warned, "There will be some very confused children in that school."
Guidance for schools in England charges, "Schools should be mindful that beyond the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment there is significant debate, and they should be careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact."
Institute Deputy Director Simon Calvert said, "Muddying the waters around teaching on gender identity is the last thing we need right now."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Law-enforcement officials in the state of Florida have announced the arrests of 48 suspected child predators, who now have been charged with a laundry list of 153 counts.
"As a father, I am outraged by the heinous crimes we spoke about today. As Attorney General, I'm proud of the brave officers behind this record-breaking operation," explained Attorney General James Uthmeier in his announcement of the arrests.
"They came after children, but Florida and federal law enforcement were waiting for them. Thanks to the Marion County Sheriff's Office for putting this operation together so these men were stopped before they could harm a single child."
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods was part of the operation, and added, "My office routinely conducts these types of operations. With each operation, we catch more and more. The number of offenders only goes up.
"Parents, we will never arrest every single one of them. You have to know what your child is doing online, and children have to know what dangers are lurking online. As a sheriff and as a father, I understand the anger and disgust a parent has towards these types of individuals. I assure you that we will continue to attack this plague head on."
Among the suspects are six foreign nationals who were flagged with ICE detainers.
The six-day operation targeted online child predators and was coordinated by Woods' office.
"Sheriff Woods and his deputies did an outstanding job catching and removing 40 predators from the Central Florida community," said Bill Gladson, state attorney for the 5th Judicial Circuit.
Uthmeier's office worked with nine law enforcement agencies across the region.
The operation, targeting those who used social media or other communications, apparently to target the children for sex, exposed the use of Snapchat as a platform to target children, the report said.
"Predators used various online chat and gaming platforms, including Snapchat, in an attempt to message and meet with minors, who were actually undercover officers," the AG reported.
His office is suing Snapchat for "knowingly and willingly violating Florida law, including the protections enshrined in last year's HB3 and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act."
It charges that the company is actively deceiving parents about the risks associated with using the platform.
Among the charges: 34 counts of traveling to meet a minor for illegal sexual contact, 48 counts of using a computer to solicit a child for sexual conduct, 40 counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony, and many more.
The Washington Stand called the operation a "powerful blow" against child predators.
Uthmeier said, "To go after young kids, there is no defense, there is no justification, there is no excuse."
The suspected offenders were trying to meet up with children, who were actually law enforcement officers playing an online role.
The report noted Joseph Backholm, Family Research Council's senior fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement, told the Stand, "It's wonderful that Florida and other law enforcement agencies around the country are dealing with this seriously."
But he said the source still needs to be attacked.
"The problem of human trafficking begins where all sin begins, with pride. Once you decide you are more important than others, it's not hard to decide that other people should serve your needs. Human trafficking and sexual exploitation are the worst examples of this, but far from the only examples."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
It's unfair, it's wrong, it's "gerrymandering" when Republicans do it.
But it's "democracy" when the perpetrators are Democrats.
That odd bit of hypocrisy is courtesy Barack Obama, who this week joined in an orchestrated campaign by Democrats to condemn a redistricting proposal in Texas.
It would, if fact, give GOP members a higher probability of winning some seats, analysts have said.
Obama wrote, "We can't lose focus on what matters – right now, Republicans in Texas are trying to gerrymander district lines to unfairly win five seats in next year's midterm elections. This is a power grab that undermines our democracy."
However, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, pointed out the two different definitions of redistricting, or gerrymandering, Democrats, including Obama, trot out.
Democrats "only call it 'gerrymandering' when it's in a Republican state," he explained. "When it happens in Illinois, they call it 'democracy.'"
A report on the politicking by Obama, in Twitchy, cited a 2012 article in the New Yorker in which Obama confessed that his own national political career "was launched with the assistance of gerrymandering that Barack had a personal hand in helping with."
The report confirmed, "In 1996, during his first run for office, in the Illinois State Senate, Obama defeated his former political mentor Alice Palmer by successfully challenging her nominating petitions and forcing her off the ballot, effectively ending her career. A few years later, Illinois Democrats, after toiling in the minority in the Senate, gerrymandered the state to produce a Democratic majority. While drafting the new political map, Obama helped redraw his own district northward to include some of Chicago's wealthiest citizens, making the district a powerful financial and political base that he used to win his U.S. Senate seat, a few years later."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The tariffs on products from India now have hit 50%, as President Donald Trump has piled a new 25% cost on top of the previous 25%, and it's all because of that nation's allegiance to Moscow.
The Washington Examiner reports Trump's executive order raising the tariffs specifically stated, "I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil."
Trump has worked to implement policies and practices for the United States around the world that reduce oil revenues for Russia, which has been using them to fund its invasion of Ukraine.
"Trump announced that he would impose a new 25% tariff on goods from India as well as an additional import tax for purchasing Russian oil," the report said.
He was critical of Indian officials for buying military equipment and energy supplies from Russia when "everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE."
Officials in India have given no indication they'll change their procedures.
These tariffs are part of Trump's campaign to de-escalate, even end, the war in Russia, launched by Russia's invasion and continued by Ukraine's decision to fight back.
Trump also has been using tariffs, or the threat of tariffs, to push nations around the world into agreeing to fair trade agreements with the U.S. Its consumers and businesses have been subsidizing the incomes of other nations for years with unbalanced trade requirements,
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Trump posted to Truth Social today that special envoy Steve Witkoff had just had a "highly productive" meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the administration continues to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump wrote: "My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Recently, the president has expressed frustration with Putin over U.S. efforts to end the war. Last month, Trump gave Putin a 50-day deadline to reach a ceasefire deal, and then reduced it to 10 days. That was eight days ago.
Trump's punishment for failure was to impose sanctions and secondary tariffs on nations that purchase Russian oil and gas.
Reportedly, the meeting between Putin and Witkoff, held at the Kremlin, lasted about three hours.