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WASHINGTON (AP) — Hackers linked to Russia’s government launched a cyberattack last spring against municipal water plants in rural Texas. At one plant in Muleshoe, population 5,000, water began to overflow. Officials had to unplug the system and run the plant manually.

The hackers weren’t trying to taint the water supply. They didn’t ask for a ransom. Authorities determined the intrusion was designed to test the vulnerabilities of America’s public infrastructure. It was also a warning: In the 21st century, it takes more than oceans and an army to keep the United States safe.

A year later, countries around the world are preparing for greater digital conflict as increasing global tensions and a looming trade war have raised the stakes — and the chances that a cyberattack could cause significant economic damage, disrupt vital public systems, reveal sensitive business or government secrets, or even escalate into military confrontation.

The confluence of events has national security and cyber experts warning of heightened cyberthreats and a growing digital arms race as countries look to defend themselves.

At the same time, President Donald Trump has upended America’s digital defenses by firing the four-star general who led the National Security Agency, shrinking cybersecurity agencies and slashing election cybersecurity initiatives.

Businesses now are increasingly concerned about cyberattacks, and governments have moved to a war footing, according to a report this month by NCC Group, a British cybersecurity firm.

“The geopolitical dust is still settling,” said Verona Johnstone-Hulse, a London-based expert on government cybersecurity polices and the report’s co-author. “What the new normal looks like is still not yet set.”

Many in the U.S. are already calling for a more muscular approach to protecting the digital frontier.

“Hybrid war is here to stay,” said Tom Kellermann, senior vice president of cyberstrategy at Contrast Security. “We need to stop playing defense — it’s time to make them play defense.”
Digital life means more targets for hackers

Vulnerabilities have grown as people and businesses use connected devices to count steps, manage finances and operate facilities such as water plants and ports. Each network and connection is a potential target for foreign governments or the hacking groups that sometimes do their bidding.

Espionage is one motive, demonstrated in a recent incursion linked to hackers in China. The campaign known as Salt Typhoon sought to crack the phones of officials, including Trump, before the 2024 election.

These operations seek entry to sensitive corporate or government systems to steal secrets or monitor personal communications. Such information can be hugely valuable by providing advantages in trade negotiations or military planning. These hackers try to remain hidden for as long as possible.

More obvious intrusions can serve as a warning or deterrent, such as the cyberattacks targeting the Texas water plants. Iran also has shown a willingness to use cyberattacks to make political points.

The cyberattacks that frighten experts the most burrow deeply into telephone or computer networks, inserting backdoors or malware for later use.

National security experts say this was the motivation behind a recent attack from China called Volt Typhoon that compromised telephone networks in the U.S. in an effort to gain access to an unknown number of critical systems.

China could potentially use these connections to disable key infrastructure — power plants, communication networks, pipelines, hospitals, financial systems — as part of a larger conflict or before an invasion of Taiwan, national security experts said.

“They can position their implants to be activated at a date and time in the future,” said Sonu Shankar, a former researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory who is now chief strategy officer at Phosphorus Cybersecurity.

National security officials will not discuss details, but experts interviewed by The Associated Press said the U.S. no doubt has developed similar offensive capabilities.

China has rejected U.S. allegations of hacking, accusing America of trying to “ smear ” Beijing while conducting its own cyberattacks.
Global tensions tick up

Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Trade disputes. Shifting alliances. The risk of cyberattacks goes up in times of global tension, and experts say that risk is now at a high.

U.S. adversaries China, Russia, Iran and North Korea also have shown signs of cybercooperation as they forge tighter economic, military and political relationships.

Speaking to Congress, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard noted that Iran has supplied drones in exchange for Russian intelligence and cybercapabilities.

“Russia has been the catalyst for much of this expanded cooperation, driven heavily by the support it has needed for its war effort against Ukraine,” Gabbard told lawmakers.

Amid global fears of a trade war after the tariffs that Trump has imposed, supply chains could be targeted in retaliation. While larger companies may have a robust cyberteam, small suppliers that lack those resources can give intruders easy access.

And any tit-for-tat cycles of cyberconflict, in which one country hacks into a sensitive system as retaliation for an earlier attack, come with “great risk” for all involved, Shankar said. “It would put them on the path to military conflict.”
The Trump effect

At a time when national security and cybersecurity experts say the U.S. should be bolstering its defenses, Trump has called for reductions in staffing and other changes to the agencies that protect American interests in cyberspace.

For example, Trump recently fired Gen. Timothy Haugh, who oversaw the NSA and the Pentagon’s Cyber Command.

The U.S. faces “unprecedented cyber threats,” said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He has asked the White House to explain Haugh’s departure. “How does firing him make Americans any safer?” Warner said.

Also under Trump, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency placed on leave staffers who worked on election security and cut millions of dollars in funding for cybersecurity programs for local and state elections. His administration eliminated the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which tracked and exposed foreign disinformation online.

The CIA, NSA and other intelligence agencies also have seen reductions in staffing.

The administration faced more questions over how seriously it takes cybersecurity after senior officials used the popular messaging app Signal to discuss sensitive information about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. Gabbard later called the episode a mistake.

The officials in charge of America’s cybersecurity insist Trump’s changes will make the U.S. safer, while getting rid of wasteful spending and confusing regulations.

The Pentagon, for instance, has invested in efforts to harness artificial intelligence to improve cyberdefenses, according to a report provided to Congress by Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman, acting commander of the NSA and Cyber Command.

The changes at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency come as its leaders consider how best to execute their mission in alignment with the administration’s priorities, a CISA statement said.

“As America’s Cyber Defense Agency, we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard the nation’s critical infrastructure against all cyber and physical threats,” the statement read. “We will continue to collaborate with our partners across government, industry, and with international allies to strengthen global cybersecurity efforts and protect the American people from foreign adversaries, cybercriminals, and other emerging threats.”

Representatives for Gabbard’s office and the NSA didn’t respond to questions about how Trump’s changes will affect cybersecurity.
Signs of progress?

Despite shifting alliances, a growing consensus about cyberthreats could prompt greater global cooperation.

More than 20 nations recently signed on to an international framework on the use of commercial spyware. The U.S. has signaled it will join the nonbinding agreement.

There’s also broad bipartisan agreement in the U.S. about the need to help private industry bolster defenses.

Federal estimates say the cybersecurity industry needs to hire an additional 500,000 professionals to meet the challenge, said Dean Gefen, former chief of cybertraining for Israel’s Defense Intelligence Technological Unit. He’s now the CEO of NukuDo, a cybersecurity training company.

“Companies need effective guidance from the government — a playbook,” Gefen said. “What to do, what not to do.”

HOUSTON (AP) — A shootout in front of a family courthouse Monday between several Texas deputies and a man with a handgun wounded one of the deputies as well as the suspect, authorities said.

At 12:20 p.m., a man displaying a weapon was reported walking from the Harris County Civil Courthouse in downtown Houston to the nearby Family Law Center, Carl Shaw, assistant chief deputy with the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, said during a news conference.

Deputies began chasing the man before ending up at the nearby Family Law Center, where a shootout took place, Shaw said.

“He ran from us initially and then turned around and took a shot at one of our officers and they, of course, returned fire,” Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said during a news conference late Monday afternoon.

Sheila Jones, a deputy with the constable’s office, and the suspect were shot and wounded, Rosen said.

Jones was wearing a bulletproof vest, which spared her from any internal injuries, Rosen said.

The suspect, whose name was not being immediately released by authorities, was carrying two handguns when he was shot, Rosen said. He was being charged with one court of aggravated assault of a peace officer, but more charges were expected against him.

The deputy, who was shot and injured on her left side, and suspect were hospitalized and both were listed as stable Monday afternoon. No other injuries were reported.

Five deputies were involved in the encounter with the suspect, and investigators are trying to determine how many of them fired their weapons, Rosen said. At least one building near the shooting had a bullet go through one of its windows.

The injured deputy has been in law enforcement for 30 years and previously worked for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting took place in an area in downtown Houston where the criminal and civil courthouses are located as well as the Harris County jury plaza, where potential jurors report for duty. Thousands of people visit the various buildings each day to attend court hearings or other legal proceedings.

“This is a very busy complex. … What the suspect had in mind, I don’t know,” said Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz, whose agency will lead the investigation into the shooting.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare credited Jones and the other deputies with helping prevent bystanders who were at the crowded courthouse complex area from being injured.

“Because of her, we don’t have a mass casualty event,” Teare said.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Maribel Hernandez and her husband, Leonardo Campos, were shopping at a Walmart in a Texas border city in 2019 when a gunman who wanted to stop what he believed was a Hispanic invasion opened fire, killing them and 21 others.

On Monday, Hernandez’s daughter, Yvonne Loya Gonzalez, spoke directly to the gunman, Patrick Crusius, after he pleaded guilty to capital murder in the El Paso massacre: “Their absence in my life has left a deep void in my heart.”

The statements by victims’ relatives and survivors that began Monday afternoon could continue through Wednesday. Some, including Gonzalez, told Crusius he is forgiven.

“I have no more room for hate in my heart,” Gonzalez said.

Crusius, a white 26-year-old community college dropout, showed little emotion, kept his head up and eyes trained ahead on those who spoke. Many expressed hope he would reflect on his actions in prison.

Crusius, who wore a striped jumpsuit, shackles and a protective vest during the hearing, did not address the families when he accepted a plea deal, which he made after local prosecutors agreed to take the death penalty off the table. He had already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms on federal hate crime charges.
‘What would be the point of forgiving what was easy to forgive?’

Liliana Munoz of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, said she had been shopping for snacks to resell across the border when Crusius opened fire, forever changing her life physically, economically and emotionally.

In her statement, which was read by someone sitting beside her in court, she said she used to be a “happy, dancing person,” but now she is afraid every morning when she awakes. She now uses a cane to walk and wears a leg brace to keep her left foot from dragging.

“It left me sad, bitter,” said the 41-year-old mother.

But she also granted Crusius forgiveness “because what would be the point of forgiving what was easy to forgive?”
‘El Paso rose, stronger and braver’

Crusius drove more than 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) from his home near Dallas to carry out the shooting on Aug. 3, 2019.

“You came to inflict terror, to take innocent lives and to shatter a community that had done nothing but stand for kindness, unity and love. You slaughtered fathers, mothers, sons and daughters,” State District Judge Sam Medrano said.

“Now as you begin the rest of your life locked away, remember this: your mission failed,” he continued. “You did not divide this city, you strengthened it. You did not silence its voice, you made it louder. You did not instill fear, you inspired unity. El Paso rose, stronger and braver.”

Medrano sentenced Crusius to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

While one of his lawyers, Joe Spencer, told the court, “We offer our deepest condolences,” Crusius did not explicitly apologize Monday for his actions.

Crusius also pleaded guilty Monday to 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which were enhanced with violence and prejudice findings, in relation to the 22 people who were injured but survived the shooting. He was sentenced to 22 additional life sentences on those counts.

“Patrick will leave prison only in a coffin on God’s time,” Spencer said.
Racial hatred fueled the attack

In a posting to an online message board just before the massacre, Crusius said the shooting was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.” He said Hispanics would take over the government and economy.

Crusius appears to have been consumed by the immigration debate, posting online in support of building a border wall and praising the hard-line border policies of President Donald Trump, who was in his first term at the time. After the shooting, Crusius told officers he had targeted Mexicans.

“He latched onto hateful rhetoric, particularly the dangerous and false narratives surrounding immigration being repeated in political discourse,” Spencer said.

The attorney said Crusius was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which can be marked by hallucinations, delusions and mood swings. “His thinking became increasingly divorced from reality,” he said.

“We share this not as an excuse, but as part of the explanation for the inexplicable,” he said.

The people who were killed at Walmart ranged in age from a 15-year-old high school athlete to elderly grandparents. They included immigrants, a retired city bus driver, a teacher, tradesmen including a former iron worker, and several Mexican nationals who had crossed the U.S. border on routine shopping trips.

Adriana Zandri’s husband, Ivan Manzano, was killed after crossing into the U.S. from Mexico on a shopping run. She lamented that her husband lost the chance to teach his son to drive and shave or to give away his daughter’s hand in marriage.

“When all this happened, my daughter was 5 and my son was 9,” she said in her statement to the court. “The only thing that I wanted was for them to not grow up with hatred in their hearts.”

___

Stengle contributed from Dallas.

TEXAS – The nation’s average price of gasoline has declined for the second straight week, falling 3.4 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $3.10 per gallon, according to GasBuddy® data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average is up 1.8 cents from a month ago and is 54.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has decreased 2.7 cents in the last week and stands at $3.519 per gallon.

“The national average has seen its second straight weekly decline, with gas prices falling in over 40 states. However, some states have seen increases due to localized price cycling,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “With oil prices rallying over the past week, we may start to see the downward trend in gas prices begin to stall. So far, 2025 has been relatively calm at the pump for most Americans, thanks in part to OPEC’s ongoing restoration of oil production and continued uncertainty surrounding tariff policy and its potential impact on the global economy. Regardless, Americans are currently spending over $200 million less per day on gasoline compared to this time last year.”

AUSTIN – A press release from the Office of the Attorney General states that Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a motion to appoint a Consumer Privacy Ombudsman in the 23andMe bankruptcy case. This is done to ensure that the highly sensitive, personal, and genetic information of Texans is safeguarded throughout the bankruptcy proceedings.

“The importance of safeguarding Texans’ genetic data and preserving their privacy rights cannot be overstated,” said Attorney General Paxton. “We have robust state privacy laws that include data deletion rights, and I would encourage any Texan concerned about their data to exercise the right to have their data securely deleted. I will continue to stand up for Texans’ privacy rights, which is why I’m fighting to have a Consumer Privacy Ombudsman appointed in this case.”

23andMe, a company whose services include direct to consumer genetic testing, recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Eastern District of Missouri. According to pleadings filed in the case, 23andMe seeks to sell unspecified assets that potentially include the sensitive genetic data of adults and children, health information, and other personally identifiable information.

Attorney General Paxton’s motion asserts that this case presents an unprecedented situation at the intersection of bankruptcy law, consumer data rights, and genetic data privacy rights. Therefore, the appointment of a Consumer Privacy Ombudsman serves the interests of consumers and creditors.

Under the Texas Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Act and the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, Texas consumers have the right to request that their data be deleted from 23andMe’s database, and that the genetic sample or results be destroyed. Texans may exercise their rights by going to the 23andMe website where they can request deletion of their data, opt to have test samples destroyed, and revoke permission for their data to be used for research: click here to download or request deletion of your 23andMe data.

Any Texans who experience problems in exercising their rights, do not receive a response from the company, or have other concerns related to their 23andMe data may file a complaint at the Office of the Attorney General’s website.

AUSTIN – The New York Times reports that in 2023, professional bettors in Europe were trying to find an American partner to help pull off an audacious plan to buy up virtually every ticket ahead of just the right lottery draw in the United States. Then something remarkable happened in Texas. Officials in Austin essentially blessed the rigging of their own state lottery. “What we had was a criminal enterprise within our government,” said State Senator Bob Hall, a Republican investigating the caper. In a state known for its aversion to government regulation, the successful manipulation of a Texas lottery has taken on deep meaning. The Texas Senate has held hearings. Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered investigations. The Texas House zeroed out the funding for the state lottery in its budget this month. Still, with their winnings in the tens of millions of dollars, the perpetrators remain very much unscathed. Just how the Texas lottery was fixed in 2023 has been explored by news outlets and in state capitol hearing rooms. But less understood is the key role of state regulators. The Times has unearthed new details and video evidence that underscore just how integral the state’s lottery commission was in helping to secure a jackpot. In plain view of the authorities, the founders of Colossus Bets, a British bookmaker, worked with a struggling American start-up called Lottery.com and two other firms to buy virtually every combination of possible numbers and ensure a win that April.

But they could only do so because lottery officials looked the other way when it came to potential violations of lottery rules and expedited the delivery of dozens of new lottery terminals to print out tens of millions of paper tickets. They hit the jackpot, $95 million, after purchasing nearly 26 million tickets for $1 each. The state lottery commission presented it as a win-win: The bettors in Europe ensured every ticket would be sold, a boon worth tens of millions of dollars to the state’s public schools, which get a cut of the proceeds. Editors’ Picks Our 17 Most Lemony Recipes It’s Springtime on Polaris-9b, and the Exoflowers Are Blooming Hitting the Trails on the Wilder Side of a Party Island But some elected officials see the lottery scheme differently, as an international conspiracy with the collusion of state officials. “It just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” Mr. Hall said. To high-stakes international gamblers looking for a big play, the Texas lottery was a good bet. Lotto Texas had a relatively low number of possible ticket combinations, around 25.8 million number mixes, and a low price per ticket, $1. (In comparison, the odds of the Powerball are about one in 300 million.) Buying them all could be worth it for a large enough jackpot.