Good morning! The weekend edition is 636 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Oldest living person turns 117

• Teacher donation

• Sandwich popularity by state

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Today’s Big Story

Flock on the Chopping Block

• Automated license plate readers have quietly become a major part of American policing, with more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies now using cameras from Flock Safety. The cameras continuously record passing vehicles, allowing police to search where a car has been spotted over time and reconstruct portions of a person's daily movements.

• Police use the network to find stolen vehicles and missing people, but its growing reach has also demonstrated how easily that same capability can be abused. Officers have used Flock data to stalk former partners, authorities have accessed it for unauthorized immigration enforcement, and a Texas sheriff's office used the system to track a woman who may have had an abortion. Flock says it has introduced new safeguards intended to prevent misuse.

• The backlash has grown into a nationwide movement spanning the political spectrum. At least 100 cities have deactivated cameras or canceled contracts with Flock or similar companies, while cameras have been vandalized in at least 36 states. Others are protesting legally by blocking cameras, mapping their locations, confronting local governments, and holding demonstrations.

Saturday’s Quick Hits

• President Donald Trump said the U.S. will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of ground-beef products to enter tariff-free over the next three months, with a commitment that the beef be sold 25% below current market prices. U.S. cattle groups criticized the plan, arguing cheaper imports could hurt ranchers and discourage rebuilding the nation’s cattle herd. (More)

• A Texas appeals court slashed a $50 million judgment against Alex Jones to $1.5 million in a lawsuit brought by the parents of a child killed at Sandy Hook. Judges ruled the parents had not provided sufficient evidence to exceed Texas’ $750,000-per-plaintiff damages cap. A separate $1.4 billion Connecticut judgment remains unaffected. (More)

• The Navy is considering renaming the under-construction USS Doris Miller after President Donald Trump, U.S. officials said. Miller became the first Black service member awarded the Navy Cross after manning an anti-aircraft gun and helping wounded sailors during Pearl Harbor. The carrier’s current name was chosen during Trump’s first term. (More)

• The Panama Canal will cut daily ship transits from 36 to 32 beginning Sept. 15 as low rainfall linked to El Niño strains its water supply. The canal relies on freshwater from Lake Gatun to operate its locks, and officials are conserving water despite the ongoing wet season. (More)

• Ethel Caterham, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living person, turned 117 on Friday. Born in England in 1909, Caterham credits her longevity partly to avoiding arguments: “I listen and I do what I like.” Longevity runs in the family — one of her seven siblings lived to 104. (More)

Weekly Dose of Positive

• A Brazilian immigrant whose Wendy’s bosses paid his community college tuition has earned a full-ride scholarship to Yale. Thalles DeSouza plans to study political science and eventually become a lawyer. (More)

• A California woman donated $1 million to teachers in Marin County’s Ross Valley School District, surprising roughly 100 educators with individual checks of more than $9,000 each. (More)

• College student and former water polo player Lillie Vehling rescued three girls from drowning in Seattle’s Lake Washington, pulling them to shore after spotting them struggling during an air show. (More)

• An estimated 645 million people faced hunger worldwide in 2025, down 14 million from 2024 and 43 million from 2022, marking the third consecutive year of improvement. (More)

Extra Credit

The most popular sandwiches in every state.

Salaries needed to live in America’s most expensive cities.

Bolivian salt flat transforms into the world's largest mirror.

See photos from Portland’s soapbox derby.