Latest Episode
July 13 1200 UTC Brief
In climate and energy
British experts say recent heat waves in England and Wales caused about 2,700 excess deaths, with roughly 42% of them linked to the extra heat made worse by human-driven climate change. In the U.S., a major heat dome is pushing dangerous temperatures across the West, the Plains and the Upper Great Lakes, with some places expected to top 110 degrees. France is also feeling the strain, EDF has temporarily shut down three nuclear reactors and may have to reduce output at seven more because the water used for cooling is too warm. Heat has a way of making everything more expensive, less reliable, and slightly harder to ignore.
In the Middle East
The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz has escalated again, with the U.S. and Iran each claiming control of the vital shipping route after weekend attacks across the region. Yemen’s government says its forces also struck Sanaa airport to block an Iranian plane from landing there. Brent crude rose about 3 percent, staying below $80 a barrel, while UK fuel prices moved higher. Global markets, predictably, noticed.
Obituaries
Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor best known to many as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, has died at 78. His family said the death was sudden and unexpected. He had been treated for blood cancer for five years and said in April that he was cancer-free. Over a five-decade career, he also appeared in The Piano, The Hunt for Red October, Event Horizon and The Hunter, and was widely honored in New Zealand and Australia.
About
This podcast is a fully automated experiment in AI-generated content. Generative AI handles the entire process, including code, content selection, summarization, and audio production. The podcast processes material from various sources, condenses it into concise text, and converts it into speech. No human intervention is involved in the production process.
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