Our picksDrug War Rules No Longer Apply | Worst Cyberattack in U.S. History | Saudi Twitter Spying, and more

Massacre of Americans Shows Drug War Rules No Longer Apply (AP)
There was a time when the violence of Mexico’s 2006-2012 drug war shocked Americans, but barely touched them. This time around — like everything else about the country’s renewed cartel conflict — it’s worse.
The slaughter of three U.S. women and six of their children, some infants, in the northern state of Sonora Monday punctured the old belief that the drug cartels would avoid killing foreigners, women or children. But it wasn’t the first, or the only, such case.

How the Worst Cyberattack in History Hit American Hospitals (Andy Greenberg, Slate)
NotPetya caused $10 billion in damage. But it may have also taken a toll on patients’ health across the U.S.

NSA says it can collect metadata for encrypted comms (Derek B. Johnson, FCW)
The Trump administration is pressing Congress to permanently reauthorize expiring surveillance authorities under the Patriot Act, including the controversial Section 215 powers that gave U.S. spies the greenlight to collect bulk phone call information on Americans.

Auschwitz Survivor Becomes Symbol of Tensions in Italy (AP)
An 89-year-old Auschwitz survivor who is a senator-for-life in Italy unwittingly provoked one of the country’s most intense confrontations with anti-Semitism since the end of its Fascist dictatorship during World War II.
In response to revelations that she is subject to 200 social media attacks each day, Liliana Segre called for the creation of a parliamentary committee to combat hate, racism and anti-Semitism. Parliament approved her motion, but without votes from Italy’s right-wing parties.
Matteo Salvini’s euroskeptic League party, Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right Forza Italia and Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy all abstained, in a move that defied the kind of social consensus that has marked Italian post-war politics.
The vote last week, along with a round of racist chants in a soccer stadium, focused attention on what observers say is a growing boldness in anti-Semitic and racist attitudes in Italy, and the role of politicians in sanctioning them.

Did Mohammed Bin Salman Have Spies Inside Twitter? (Eric Lutz, Vanity Fair)
Two Saudis and an American citizen allegedly accessed thousands of users’ accounts in an effort to crack down on Saudi dissidents.

The U Visa Is Supposed to Help Solve Crimes and Protect Immigrants. But Police Are Undermining It (Laura C. Morel, Reveal)
Among more than 100 law enforcement agencies serving large immigrant communities, nearly 1 in 4 create barriers never envisioned under the program.

A Border Guard Shot and Killed a Mexican Boy. The Supreme Court Will Decide If He Gets Off Scot-Free. (Ian Millhiser, Vox)
Hernández v. Mesa is one of the Trumpiest cases ever to reach the justices.

As Seas Rise, King Tides Increasingly Inundate the Atlantic Coast (Daniel Cusick, Scientific American)
Cities from Key West to Boston have seen notably worse nuisance flooding this fall