The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is expected to extend service cuts on five New York City subway lines until late 2022, the New York Daily News reported on Monday.

The service cuts will affect weekday evening service on the B, D, N, Q and R lines. D and N trains will run local instead of express in Brooklyn beneath Fourth Avenue, and the frequency of N, R, and Q trains will be reduced.

MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan told The Hill that those trains are needed for construction work in the city, including upgrades to various stations. 

The extended service cuts come as the MTA is struggling to gain back past riders. Daily ridership is down 60 percent from where it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Daily News. 

The MTA board is set to approve the new measure on Wednesday.

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The death toll in Germany and Belgium has climbed past 110 after heavy rainfall produced extreme flooding that caused buildings to collapse and trapped people inside their homes.

There are at least 63 people who died in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and at least 43 people who died in North Rhine-Westphalia, officials say, according to The Associated Press. Officials warn that the number could climb higher.

There are 1,300 people who are still considered missing, but authorities said the high number could be from duplicate names and increased difficulty to reach people due to internet connectivity being unavailable in some parts of the country because of the storm. 

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Parts of Belgium were also hit during the storm, with at least 12 people dead and five still missing, according to the AP.

Frank Rock, the head of the German county administration, said they have been working to get people who are trapped in their homes out and know of at least 15 “who still need to be rescued.”

“My thoughts are with the families of the victims of the devastating floods in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands and those who have lost their homes,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted Thursday. “The EU is ready to help.”

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the country will be supporting citizens and communities affected by the flooding and destruction he is “stunned” by.

“In the hour of need, our country stands together,” Steinmeier said Friday. “It’s important that we show solidarity for those from whom the flood has taken everything.”

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American confidence in science has split heavily along party lines, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.

The survey found that Democrats were very confident in science, with 79 percent saying they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the field, compared to just 45 percent of Republicans who said the same. Among independents, 65 percent expressed confidence.

The gap between Democrats and Republicans was the widest of any institution measured in Gallups polls this year.

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The last time Gallup polled Americans on their confidence in science was 1975. GOP confidence in science is down 27 percentage points since then, compared with a 12 point increase among Democrats. Confidence declined 8 points among independents.

According to Gallup, the lack of confidence among Republicans may stem from conservative leaders’ allegations of liberal bias in the scientific community. It also tied the mistrust to issues surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations.

Overall, 64 percent of Americans said they have confidence in science.

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Israel’s health minister announced Sunday that adults with compromised immune systems who had already received two doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine could receive a booster shot, Reuters reported.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said the decision was effective immediately.

Israel had seen daily rates of new coronavirus infections in the single digits in June, but cases have trended upward over the past month. The country reported a high of 528 cases new cases on July 6, the highest since late March, according to data from the World Health Organization.

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According to health authorities, about half of the 46 patients hospitalized and in severe condition with coronavirus have been vaccinated, Reuters reported.

The move comes as the delta variant of coronavirus, which is thought to be more transmissible, spreads across Israel and a number of other countries, including the U.S.

Pfizer and BioTech said on Thursday they were planning to seek authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The companies said in their statement that an ongoing trial of the booster shot was showing “encouraging data.”  The companies said that when the dose is administered six months after the second dose, it provided levels of neutralizing antibodies five to 10 times higher.

Anthony FauciAnthony FauciIsrael offering third Pfizer dose to adults with weak immune systems Fauci: ‘Horrifying’ to hear CPAC crowd cheering anti-vaccination remarks Ocasio-Cortez knocks Boebert for call to end extra jobless benefits MORE, the governments top infectious diseases specialist, said Sunday that based on current data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA, there’s no need for Americans to get a booster shot. 

“What the CDC and the FDA were saying, Jake, is that right now, given the data and the information we have, we do not need to give people a third shot, a boost superimposed upon the two doses you get with the mRNA and the one dose you get with [Johnson & Johnson],” Fauci told CNN host Jake TapperJacob (Jake) Paul TapperEric Adams to meet with Biden on curbing gun violence: reports Israel offering third Pfizer dose to adults with weak immune systems Fauci: ‘Horrifying’ to hear CPAC crowd cheering anti-vaccination remarks MORE during “State of the Union.”

Fauci cautioned though that that guidance could change.

“But that doesn’t mean we stop. … I mean, there are studies being done now, ongoing as we speak, about looking at the feasibility about if and when we should be boosting people. So this isn’t something that we say, ‘No, we don’t need a boost right now. The story’s ended forever,’” Fauci said.

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Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking HERE. 

Welcome and Happy Monday! Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@millsrodrigo) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage. 

An onslaught of racist vitriol towards members of England’s soccer team flooded social media platforms, sparking fierce backlash. Twitter said it was taking action against the racist posts. 

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Meanwhile, the U.S.’s cybersecurity leadership got a boost on Monday, with the Senate approving the nomination of Jen Easterly to serve as director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Chris Inglis formally sworn in as White House national cyber director. The movement on the nominations came on the heels of escalating cyberattacks, most recently this month’s ransomware attack on software company Kaseya. 

WORLDWIDE OUTRAGE: The sports world is reeling Monday morning after an onslaught of racist vitriol was spewed on social media toward members of England’s soccer team following Sunday’s Euro 2020 final, in which England was beaten by Italy in penalty kicks.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka — who are Black — were the final three penalty kick takers for England during the shootout. 

All three missed, sealing the victory for Italy. 

It was a bitter defeat for England, which jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the game and hasn’t won an international championship since the 1966 World Cup. 

Almost instantly, Instagram and Twitter became inundated with waves of racist abuse aimed at the young stars, all of whom play for top-flight clubs in Europe.

The outpouring of hate has received widespread condemnation.

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Read more about the backlash. 

Twitter’s response: Twitter on Monday said it is taking action on the growing score of racist posts targeting the players. 

In a statement to The Hill on Monday, the social media company condemned the “abhorrent racist abuse” directed at the players and said the attacks have “absolutely no place” on its platform. 

“In the past 24 hours, through a combination of machine learning based automation and human review, we have swiftly removed over 1000 Tweets and permanently suspended a number of accounts for violating our rules — the vast majority of which we detected ourselves proactively using technology,” a Twitter spokesperson said in the statement.

Read more here. 

BIG DAY FOR CYBER NOMINEES: The Senate on Monday unanimously approved the nomination of Jen Easterly to serve as director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Easterly’s nomination was approved by the Senate weeks after Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) blocked a vote on Easterly until either President BidenJoe BidenPoll: Biden approval on coronavirus slips 2 percentage points Overnight Defense: Top US commander in Afghanistan departs | US sends delegation to Haiti after request for troops | Senate Dems propose .3B for Pentagon in Capitol security bill Protests escalate US-Cuba tensions MORE or Vice President Harris visited the U.S.-Mexico border. Harris visited the southern border late last month, and Scott has since lifted his hold. 

Sen. Gary PetersGary PetersHillicon Valley: World disgusted by racist abuse toward players | Senate unanimously approves Jen Easterly to lead DHS cyber agency | WhatsApp privacy update sparks complaint from EU consumer groups Senate unanimously approves Jen Easterly to lead DHS cyber agency Hillicon Valley: FTC votes to expand antitrust enforcement powers | US, UK agencies warn of Russian hackers using ‘brute force’ to target hundreds of groups | Trump allies launch new social media platform MORE (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which considered and approved Easterly’s nomination, expressed frustration Monday that she was not confirmed earlier.

“Before the Senate adjourned for the July 4th holiday, I stood right here and urged my colleagues to confirm her for this vital position,” Peters said on the Senate floor on Monday. “I warned that without confirming Ms. Easterly, we risked leaving ourselves vulnerable to cyberattacks, and in the two weeks since I last called on my colleagues to approve this critical nomination, nation state actors and criminal organizations have continued their relentless targeting of the United States.”

Read more about Easterly’s confirmation here.

Meanwhile, Chris Inglis, approved by the Senate last month to serve as the nation’s first White House national cyber director, was formally sworn into the position on Monday. 

Read more about Inglis’s position here. 

EU COMPLAINTS: European consumer groups filed a complaint against WhatsApp over a controversial privacy policy update on Monday, alleging the platform’s “intrusive” notifications pushing the update breached European Union commercial practices. 

The European Consumer Organization (BEUC), an umbrella consumers group based in Brussels, along with eight of its members in various countries, filed the complaint against the platform, owned by Facebook, arguing it failed to explain in “plain and intelligible language the nature of the changes.” 

“WhatsApp has been bombarding users for months with aggressive and persistent pop-up messages to force them to accept its new terms of use and privacy policy. They’ve been telling users that their access to their app will be cut off if they do not accept the new terms. Yet consumers don’t know what they’re actually accepting,” BEUC Director General Monique Goyens said in a statement. 

Read more here. 

ICYMI: A BRIEF TRIP TO SPACE: Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson successfully landed on Earth just after 12 p.m. ET Sunday, becoming the first billionaire to launch into space.

Branson made the trip, which lasted about 90 minutes, in a spaceplane created by his company that launched on Sunday morning after a 90-minute delay. After he exited the spacecraft, he hugged loved ones and celebrated with fans.

“What a day, what a day, what a day, what a day,” Branson said in remarks following the landing.

The launch from Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport America in New Mexico was slightly delayed on Sunday morning due to weather. It came just days before Amazon founder Jeff BezosJeffrey (Jeff) Preston BezosHillicon Valley: World disgusted by racist abuse toward players | Senate unanimously approves Jen Easterly to lead DHS cyber agency | WhatsApp privacy update sparks complaint from EU consumer groups The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Goldman Sachs – Democrats lean into midterm strategy as Senate returns to work Trump takes credit for billionaires’ race to space MORE is set to launch into space on his own spacecraft.

Read more here. 

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What we’re watching this week:

-A House Judiciary Committee subcommittee will examine law enforcement use of facial recognition technology during a hearing on Tuesday.  

-The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will consider multiple pieces of cyber-related legislation during a hearing Wednesday, including a bill to protect K-12 institutions against hackers. 

-The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on supply chain resiliency featuring testimony from technology experts. 

-The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on reforming the Department of Homeland Security to meet evolving threats, which will likely include discussions of recent cybersecurity incidents. 

An op-ed to chew on: The US needs a ‘Digital Marshall Plan’ to counter China’s Digital Silk Road

Lighter click: Nightly routine 

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NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB: 

 Hello, Content Creators Silicon Valley’s Investors Want to Meet You. (The New York Times / Taylor Lorenz and Erin Woo)  

A Pandemic Safety Feature On Uber And Lyft Is Getting Abused To Scam Drivers And Discriminate Against Passengers (BuzzFeed / Julia Reinstein) 

Elon MuskElon Reeve MuskHillicon Valley: World disgusted by racist abuse toward players | Senate unanimously approves Jen Easterly to lead DHS cyber agency | WhatsApp privacy update sparks complaint from EU consumer groups The space race between Branson and Bezos is about business and branding Richard Branson launches into space on Virgin Galactic MORE defends Tesla solar deal in court, calls opposing lawyer ‘a bad human being’ (Washington Post / Will Oremus and Gerrit De Vynck)

CTRL-ALT-Delete? The internet industry’s D.C. powerhouse vanishes (Politico / Emily Birnbaum) 

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A California judge has denied a request from prosecutors to add rape charges against the man accused of killing Kristin Smart 25 years ago. 

The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported that Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen in court on Wednesday rejected a motion from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office to add two rape charges against Paul Flores, stating, “There’s no evidence of a sex crime in the charged crime itself.” 

Van Rooyen went on to say that adding additional charges that currently have no physical or forensic evidence to back them “invites error” in the murder trial, the local news outlet reported. 

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Flores, Smart’s former classmate at California Polytechnic State University and the prime suspect in the decades-old case, was arrested and charged with murder in April. 

His father, Ruben Flores, was also charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact. 

Prosecutors have argued that Paul Flores, now 44, was the last person to be seen with Smart before her 1996 disappearance, alleging that he killed the first-year student while attempting to rape her in his dorm room after agreeing to walk her home from a party. 

Smart’s body has never been found, though authorities officially declared her dead in 2002. 

Ruben Flores has pleaded not guilty to his accessory charge. He and his son were arrested at the same time in April after the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department said it had found “biological evidence” indicating Smart was once buried under Ruben Flores’s deck behind his home, according to The Associated Press. 

Both men have denied any wrongdoing, with a lawyer for Paul Flores on Wednesday calling the prosecution’s attempt to add rape charges a “publicity stunt,” local ABC-CBS affiliate station KEYT reported. 

The judge on Wednesday also ordered that a preliminary hearing for the murder trial be moved from July 20 to Aug. 2, at which prosecutors will have the chance to detail for the first time in court components of the investigation into Smart’s disappearance.

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