The Hound | Sept. 9

Hi there,

It’s Wednesday. A licensed drone pilot named Joseph Allman filmed ranch hands in California's Central Valley kicking and pulling young calves with pliers. One worker was fired. Now Allman is under FAA investigation — while the very cattle company at the center of his footage has submitted public comments demanding the FAA ban drone flights over agricultural facilities entirely, framing legal oversight of animal abuse as a "food security vulnerability."

🖊️ Sign the petition to call on the media to cover the FAA's investigation of Joseph Allman not as a routine aviation enforcement story, but as a case study in corporate capture — where an industry caught on camera abusing animals uses its political influence to shut down the cameras.

This is the ag-gag playbook updated for the drone era. When activists sneaked onto farms with cameras, the industry backed criminal laws to stop them. Now that drone pilots can document abuse legally from the air, the industry is lobbying federal regulators to take their licenses — and the FAA appears to be listening.

The public deserves reporting that asks who the FAA is actually protecting: the food supply, or the companies that profit from keeping abuse out of sight.

In addition, Trump sparks diplomatic incident posting a map of the United Stats that includes Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Iceland, and all of the Caribbean and Central America draped in the U.S. flag. And Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, reports the UAE warned Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major offensive just days before October 7, 2023 when militants killed nearly 1,200 and took another 251 hostage.

Read about these, and more, in today’s stories:

FAA Investigates Drone Pilot Who Films Animal Abusers (The Intercept)

Trump Sparks Diplomatic Incident With His “USA” Map (The New Republic)

UAE warned Netanyahu of major Hamas operation days before Oct. 7 attack, news report says (AP News)

This State Is Spending More on Lethal Injections. A Law Tries to Keep the Details Secret. (ProPublica)

Farmers Are Going Broke Amid Rising Gas Prices, While the Ag Secretary Profits Off Them (Inside Climate News)

ICE Wrongfully Arrested Him. Will His Lawsuit Change How Courts Hold Agents Accountable? (The Marshall Project)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

P.S. Do you know someone who would appreciate The Hound? If you can, forward this email and encourage them to subscribe! Let’s stay informed, together.