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Palmetto Publishing Releases Art Menna’s Insider Memoir on NSA Decline and the Joint Congressional 9/11 Inquiry

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Newly published by Palmetto Publishing, Turmoil at the Turn of the Century offers the only firsthand working-level account of the National Security Agency’s institutional failures and the politically charged investigation that followed the September 11 attacks.

CHARLESTON, S.C., Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Palmetto Publishing has released Turmoil at the Turn of the Century, a new memoir by Art Menna, a former National Security Agency technical expert and staff member of the Joint Congressional 9/11 Inquiry. The book provides what Menna describes as the only firsthand, working-level account of the NSA’s decline in the years before the September 11 terrorist attacks and the congressional investigation that followed.

Menna spent 17 years at the NSA during what he characterizes as a transformative and ultimately damaging period for the agency. His account traces the NSA’s fall from its position as America’s premier intelligence organization in the 1980s to an agency plagued by shrinking budgets, uncertain mission priorities, and leadership failures in the aftermath of the Cold War. The memoir details how the agency struggled to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology and emerging threats. Menna then takes readers inside his experience as a congressional fellow on the staff of a United States senator, offering a ground-level view of how Congress operates day to day.

The book’s second act follows Menna onto the staff of the Joint Congressional 9/11 Inquiry, the politically charged investigation into what went wrong before the worst terrorist attack on American soil. He describes the turf battles, political dynamics, and personal tensions that shaped the inquiry behind closed doors, far from cameras and press conferences. Menna authored the technical section of the inquiry’s work and testified at a congressional hearing.

Turmoil at the Turn of the Century is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more information about the author, please visit his website at art4prez.com or follow his latest commentary at mennaminute.substack.com

About the Author: Art Menna brings nearly four decades of experience in the U.S. Intelligence Community to his writing. He began his career at the National Security Agency, where he served for 17 years during a transformative period in American intelligence. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with a Minor in Economics from Case Western Reserve University, along with two master’s degrees. In 2002, he was selected to serve on the staff of the Joint Congressional 9/11 Inquiry, investigating the intelligence failures that preceded the September 11 attacks, and he authored the technical section of the Inquiry’s final report. He later supported military intelligence programs at the Pentagon.

Born and raised in a suburb of New York City, Menna now resides in Arlington, Virginia. A lifelong observer of the world, he has traveled to over 55 countries, experiences that inform his broad perspective on global security and American governance.

About the Book:

Title: Turmoil at the Turn of the Century
Author: Art Menna

Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
ISBN-13: 9798318853098, 9798318853081, 9798318853104

Available for interviews: Author, Art Menna

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SOURCE Palmetto Publishing

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USCF ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO PRODUCT LINE

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WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — USCF, a leading-edge provider of exchange traded product innovation, announced today that it plans to close and liquidate the below products as a result of a decision and vote by the Board of Trustees of USCF ETF Trust that approved the liquidation and dissolution of the following exchange-traded funds (each, a “Fund”):

USCF Sustainable Battery Metals Strategy Fund (ZSB)

USCF Oil Plus Bitcoin Strategy Fund (WTIB)

USCF Energy Commodity Strategy Absolute Return Fund (USE)

USCF Gold Plus Income Strategy Fund (USG)

USCF Dividend Income Fund (UDI)

USCF Sustainable Battery Metals Strategy Fund (ZSB)
After the close of business on October 19, 2026, ZSB will no longer accept creation orders. Trading in ZSB will be halted prior to market open on October 20, 2026. Beginning on October 20, 2026, ZSB will not be traded on NYSE Arca, and there will be no secondary market for the shares of ZSB. Prior to the Liquidation Date,, ZSB will begin the process of liquidating its portfolio, and may not be managed in accordance with its investment objective. ZSB will cease operations, liquidate its assets, and distribute proceeds to shareholders of record on or about October 27, 2026 (the “ZSB Liquidation Date”). Any shareholders remaining in ZSB will have their shares redeemed at net asset value on or about the ZSB Liquidation Date.

USCF Oil Plus Bitcoin Strategy Fund (WTIB) and USCF Energy Commodity Strategy Absolute Return Fund (USE)
After the close of business on November 5, 2026, WTIB and USE will no longer accept creation orders. Trading in WTIB and USE will be halted prior to market open on November 6, 2026. Beginning on November 6, WTIB and USE will not be traded on NYSE Arca, and there will be no secondary market for the shares of WTIB and USE, respectively. Prior to the Liquidation Date,, each of WTIB and USE will begin the process of liquidating its portfolio, and may not be managed in accordance with its investment objective. Each of WTIB and USE will cease operations, liquidate its assets, and distribute proceeds to shareholders of record on or about November 13, 2026 (the “WTIB and USE Liquidation Date”). Any shareholders remaining in WTIB and USE will have their shares redeemed at net asset value on or about the WTIB and USE Liquidation Date.

USCF Gold Plus Income Strategy Fund (USG)
After the close of business on November 12, 2026, USG will no longer accept creation orders. Trading in USG will be halted prior to market open on November 13, 2026. Beginning on November 13 2026, USG will not be traded on NYSE Arca, and there will be no secondary market for the shares of USG. Prior to the Liquidation Date,, USG will begin the process of liquidating its portfolio, and may not be managed in accordance with its investment objective. USG will cease operations, liquidate its assets, and distribute proceeds to shareholders of record on or about November 20, 2026 (the “USG Liquidation Date”). Any shareholders remaining in USG will have their shares redeemed at net asset value on or about the USG Liquidation Date.

USCF Dividend Income Fund (UDI)
After the close of business on December 3, 2026, UDI will no longer accept creation orders. Trading in UDI will be halted prior to market open on December 4, 2026. Beginning on December 4, 2026, UDI will not be traded on NYSE Arca, and there will be no secondary market for the shares of UDI. Prior to the Liquidation Date,, UDI will begin the process of liquidating its portfolio, and may not be managed in accordance with its investment objective. UDI will cease operations, liquidate its assets, and distribute proceeds to shareholders of record on or about December 11, 2026 (the “UDI Liquidation Date”). Any shareholders remaining in UDI will have their shares redeemed at net asset value on or about the UDI Liquidation Date.

For more information, please call 1-800-920-0259 or visit www.uscfinvestments.com.

About USCF
USCF operates on the leading edge of product innovation as an asset management firm offering exchange- traded products (ETPs) and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The firm broke new ground with the launch of the first oil ETP, the United States Oil Fund, LP (USO), in 2006. Over the next decade, USCF designed and issued eleven more specialty products across commodity and private equity asset classes.

Katie Rooney is a registered representatives of ALPS Distributors, Inc.
Funds distributed by and not affiliated with ALPS Distributors, Inc.

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SOURCE USCF Investments

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Insurify Joins Technology Leaders to Shape the Future of AI-Powered Insurance Shopping

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Insurify will help shape insurance standards for shopper consent, coverage transparency, and carrier protections in the proposed Personal Agent Protocol, known as Poppy.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Insurify, the leading online insurance marketplace and a pioneer in AI-powered insurance shopping, is joining Sierra and other technology leaders as an early design partner in the AI Personal Agent Protocol, known as Poppy, bringing the needs of insurance shoppers and carriers into the protocol’s design.

“People shopping for insurance should be able to use the AI agent they choose without losing the critical coverage information they need to make an informed decision,” said Giorgos Zacharia, co-founder and co-CEO of Insurify. “Delegating a task shouldn’t mean surrendering control over your personal information or your decision to buy. AI agents are an important distribution channel for carriers, and we’re helping shape standards that keep consumers in control and give companies the ability to protect the customers they serve.”

As an early adopter of AI in its marketplace, Insurify believes consumers need transparency, privacy, and guidance. Poppy aims to provide a straightforward framework in which consumers approve access, agents identify themselves, and companies set boundaries for what agents can do. Insurify will participate in design discussions, advocating for insurance-specific protections that preserve coverage context, carrier attribution, privacy, and security. These include retaining coverage limits, deductibles, eligibility requirements, and applicable disclosures, while addressing automated quoting that adds costs without serving a real shopper.

Insurify already offers personalized car insurance quotes through its ChatGPT plugin, with coverage details and a path to purchase through a licensed agent or insurer. Insurify’s participation in Poppy’s development advances the same objectives: enabling AI-powered insurance shopping that consumers and carriers can trust.

About Insurify:

Insurify is America’s top-rated online insurance marketplace, offering a secure, spam-free way to compare and buy coverage. With a network of 120-plus carrier partners, Insurify empowers consumers to compare auto, home, pet, and renters insurance in minutes, online or with the help of a licensed agent. Since 2016, Insurify’s AI-powered technology has served over 320 million insurance quotes across Insurify and its affiliates. By using Insurify, customers can save hundreds of dollars annually, with some saving up to 50% on their premiums. In 2025, Insurify launched Insurify Car, its own branded car insurance program, underwritten by partner carriers and managed on Insurify.com.

For more information, contact:

jessica.edmondson@insurify.com
Press@Insurify.com
https://Insurify.com

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SOURCE INSURIFY, Inc.

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CITY JAM Founder Pat Villaceran Launches an AI-Era Accelerator and Incubator Model for Music, Starting With Record Labels

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The music industry spent years making it easier to create and distribute music. CITY JAM founder Pat Villaceran is betting that the next opportunity is building the infrastructure around the artist.

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pat Villaceran, founder of CITY JAM, today launched an AI-era accelerator and incubator model for music, starting with record labels. It gives artists the support a startup accelerator gives founders. Record labels and artist services companies access it through INDUSTRY.AIFF, CITY JAM’s programme for labels, which applies the incubator approach to a label’s own artists. Independent artists work with CITY JAM through its programmes and CREATOR LABS.

A song can be recorded on a laptop and distributed worldwide without leaving the bedroom. Then the hard part begins. The artist must also act as distributor, publisher, rights manager, marketer, data analyst and contract negotiator, usually alone. Villaceran sees that gap, the infrastructure around the artist, as music’s next market.

“I realised that music, artistry and the industry are working on a disconnected plane,” said Villaceran. “And the speed of how technology is moving is not making it easier for independent musicians to catch up.”

The technology sector would rarely ask a founder to build a company alone with little more than software. Music does it every day.

Her diagnosis is that the gatekeeper became a stack. Removing traditional gatekeepers did not hand artists control. It swapped a visible hierarchy for a chain of distributors, streaming services, social platforms, payment systems, rights organisations and algorithms that decide who hears what. Artists gained access. Agency is another matter.

Founders facing that kind of complexity can call on accelerators, investors, lawyers, advisers and mentors. Musicians run businesses with the same traits, from intellectual property and audiences to brands, licensing and customers, yet artist development remains fragmented. CITY JAM brings that support into one place, combining education, professional development, community, live jam sessions, collaborations, commercial opportunities and technology.

“We need to not only create the right technology, but also the right kind of culture,” said Villaceran. The goal is to give musicians “the right education, right tools and right know-how” so they can do more than simply “play the game.”

In this model the song is intellectual property at the centre of an economic ecosystem. The question shifts from how an artist gets discovered to what the artist is building. Labels, publishers, agents, brands, venues and technology companies become partners in that business rather than its definition.

Artificial intelligence raises the stakes. When content becomes abundant, value moves to what software cannot mass-produce: identity, trust, relationships, community, physical experience and cultural context. That is why CITY JAM goes beyond software. Its live jam sessions put musicians in the same room, so relationships form before any platform decides they are valuable.

“If we don’t act now, the humans that make real art will be engulfed by the system and there’s no turning back,” said Villaceran.

Music drives subscriptions, social engagement, film, advertising, games, fashion and ticket sales, yet sustainable careers remain hard to build.

“The economic attribution of the value for music and artistry needs to catch up,” said Villaceran. “Music is literally life, for us musicians. We breathe music. Music is oxygen. If music is life, then it has to practically sustain us, too.”

Villaceran’s answer is not another creator tool. It is the layer that connects the tools to an artist who knows what to do next. A startup accelerator works because founders rarely need just one thing. Musicians do not either. The method is to find the right people, put them in the same room and start building.

“CITY JAM is never just a concept for me. It’s the new way of life for musicians and artists and everyone else in the music industry,” said Villaceran. “We start with the tiny ripple of a movement. That’s how change really happens.”

About CITY JAM

CITY JAM builds INDUSTRY.AIFF and CREATOR LABS, supported by a global community of experts and producers, including CITY JAM New York. Founded and led by Pat Villaceran, who also founded the innovation agency The MooVe, CITY JAM brings her record of building innovation programmes for companies and founders across Asia Pacific, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe to music. INDUSTRY.AIFF is CITY JAM’s programme for record labels and artist services companies, and the name of its weekday letter for music label CEOs. CREATOR LABS is a separate offering and is not part of INDUSTRY.AIFF. CITY JAM is a brand of HINABI PRIVE, INC. For updates, follow CITY JAM on LinkedIn.

Media contact: CITY JAM, press@themoove.co

 

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