A Boko Haram commander had a bomb that wouldn’t go off. Something was wrong with the wiring. One of his men took the problem to ChatGPT. The first answers were not much use. So word went out through contacts overseas: how do you phrase the question so the machine will actually help? The second try worked.

“It gave us useful information on how exactly to connect the wires, and it worked,” the fighter later said. “I don’t know what he typed that made it work. They call people in the network for this kind of help every day.”

That’s right. Boko Haram, a terrorist organization, has a help desk.

Happy Friday in NYC, where the biggest news of the day comes out of Marble Hill, Manhattan, where yesterday ICE agents shot a 28-year-old man named Oscar Belgal while he was driving with his five-year-old son, striking him in the neck. Oscar was hospitalized in stable condition and later transferred to federal custody; his son was uninjured.

The federal agent fired seven rounds at close range while Belgal was seated behind the wheel of his car. Police surveillance video showed at least two agents approaching the car, but failed to capture the shooting itself; eyewitness testimony reports that Belgal’s car may have moved forward prior to the incident. The agent who initiated the shooting was dressed in plainclothes and had his gun drawn.

In a statement posted to X, the Department of Homeland Security wrote that “ICE officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation in the Bronx, New York, to arrest a criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic.” The statement continues:

“When dangerous illegal aliens are released back onto the streets by radical sanctuary politicians, our officers are forced to make arrests at large in the community in unpredictable and dangerous environments. Our officers should not have to risk their lives, and innocent Americans should not have to face unnecessary danger, because sanctuary politicians refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement.”

This marks the first time that ICE officers have shot a civilian in New York City since President Trump launched his immigration crackdown, but it comes after months of active enforcement operations in immigrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. Over the first 18 months of the Trump presidency, federal agents made over 19,000 arrests in the city.

The shooting immediately set off a wave of outrage from locals, elected officials and advocates. Hundreds of protesters marched to the hospital where Belgal was being treated, where they were met by NYPD officers, some of whom shoved protesters to the ground and physically cleared the way for federal vehicles to pass through.

“ICE undermines public safety. It makes us less safe,” Mayor Mamdani told reporters while standing alongside Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Attorney General Letitia James, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and others. “New York City will not stand by while ICE agents shoot New Yorkers, and we will not back down from the demand that so many, including myself, have put forward time and again. This is an agency that must be abolished.”

We are seeking an experienced short-form news writer who can help us tell readers everything that is continuously happening in Brooklyn. This is a full-time role that requires WordPress and Google Suite expertise, among other tech skills.

Applicants should be happily challenged to tell the news of a major event in 200 words or less and post updates on a rolling basis.

Four-year college degree and two years post college experience required.

Send resume and cover letter to [email protected]. Put in subject line: App for News Hound

In June 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear appeals of two lower court rulings that challenged assault weapons restrictions. The high court will decide whether the Second and 14th amendments protect the right to possess semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15. This marks a reversal for the court, which for years has declined to consider such challenges.

Two lower court rulings followed the Supreme Court announcement. On July 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit upheld Illinois’ assault weapons ban. And on July 17, the 33rd Circuit struck down New Jersey’s ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, making it the first federal appeals court to so rule.

Some analysts suggested that these decisions had an eye on the Supreme Court’s fall review.

As a gun policy scholar, I believe this flurry of legal activity brings to a head the multi-decade dispute over restricting assault weapons that extends far beyond legal arguments. The source of the conflict ranges from elements of gun culture identity to the technical characteristics of these weapons. Much of this controversy remains misunderstood, including conflicting claims about the weapons’ origins and definition.

Where the court ultimately stands will have to do with its answers to these tough questions. Is an assault weapon a weapon of war or a sporting rifle? Is it a machine gun or simply a tricked-out hunting rifle? Does it really pose a risk to the public compared to other guns?

Read on to learn more.

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