_Surveillance isn’t just about who is collecting the data. Surveillance is, of course, also about who that data ends up with. A great story from Jason today looks at that with Flock and other automatic license plate reader (ALPR) data: some local cops are being forced to feed their ALPR data into obscure federal systems where that data may be kept for much longer than usual, and searched by many more people and agencies than the residents being surveilled probably realize._ _And, we now know which birds are the two loudest on the planet. Maybe. Welcome back to our new experiment with daily newsletters. If you like this,_ subscribe here_._ ## How Cities Are Forced to Funnel License Plate Data to a Massive Federal Surveillance Program The Trump administration is using an anti-drug trafficking grant program from the 1980s to force cities around the country to funnel their ongoing collection of automated license plate reader data into large federal surveillance centers that fall under the White House’s jurisdiction, according to public records and court documents reviewed by 404 Media. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

The long-running Mario Kart mobile title for iOS and Android devices, Mario Kart Tour, has now ended service meaning that the game has now been shut down. You will still be able to see your past Mario Kart Tour stats, but there's no racing on some of the ingenious courses that were created specifically for the game. Fortunately some of the new courses found their way to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass. RIP Mario Kart Tour, you will be missed. Thanks to Jason F for sending in the news tip!

In brief: After today, which will be windy, Houston will face a distinctly wetter pattern from Thursday through the weekend. We don’t have any specific flooding concerns, but will be watching…

Meta is exploiting a lucrative tax break intended to support research and experimentation. Its own accountants say the gambit is risky.

The Pokemon Company has informed users on X that the Pokemon Home application will be under going maintenance on Wednesday, 7th October to support Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen compatibility. The compatibility update had been promised for some time, but thankfully we now have a date for when it is going to happen. Here's what was said via machine translation: "Thank you for always enjoying Pokémon HOME. We are planning maintenance on Pokémon HOME at the following time.During the maintenance, all functions of Pokémon HOME will be unavailable, so please be aware of this in advance.

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Pitkin County, Colorado, will take over management of the Maroon Bells scenic area, following Forest Service budget cuts and staffing cuts.

Dataminers have been ploughing through the Nintendo Switch Online app which recently received a new update and have discovered a new event-based gift system being implemented. X user idocode01 has published the findings on the social media platform. That's not all as there can seemingly be multiple Event Gifts happening at the same time, which would presumably reward users with unique in-game items, We will have to wait for Nintendo to clarify and provide the full details.

In brief: Houston faces a couple of more days of late summer weather before a significant pattern change brings us a soggy weekend. After that we expect cooler conditions next week. Is it goodbye 9…

The long-running Sonic the Hedgehog franchise continues to gain popularity and despite 35 years of the blue blur, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka, believes that the series is only halfway to its full potential. The team initially had extremely high goals when it came to SEGA's 2D mascot back in the day, but with a mixed bag of 3D games the Sonic Team hasn't had that critically acclaimed breakout hit. However, they will continue to do their best to strive to get there and good luck to them. “To be honest, we believe that Sonic is still only halfway to reaching its full potential.

GIF by KLIPY.

After the success of the last promotion, McDonald's and The Pokemon Company have announced that the McDonald's x Pokemon fast food promotion is returning in the United States this November. A new Pokemon TCG Happy Meal is coming McDonald's from 5th November through 9th December. The McDonald's x Pokemon Happy Meal includes a 4-card booster pack with three non-holo cards and one holo card. The full set will comprise of fifteen cards, including six special confetti holofoil cards. The fifteen card set celebrates Pokemon’s 30th anniversary and buyers can choose either a Pokemon toy or handbook.