Latest Episode
July 30 1600 UTC Brief
In U.S. news
The Red Cross says it is facing its second-ever blood supply crisis, with less than a one-day supply of type O positive blood earlier this week. O positive is the most commonly transfused blood type, so hospitals are dealing with a shortage that is not exactly ideal for anyone who likes functioning emergency care.
President Donald Trump said he may temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general and refile it later, while Blanche remains acting attorney general. Trump said he is waiting for Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis to leave office.
In the UK
Labour has confirmed it will keep the state pension triple lock and said pensioners whose only income is the state pension will not pay income tax on it. The Treasury says the commitment will last through this Parliament, despite criticism that the system is getting harder to sustain.
In a separate case, a man accused of threatening Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor during what prosecutors described as a routine dog walk in Norfolk is due for trial in December. Andrew is expected to give evidence by video link.
Meanwhile, Palestine Action’s co-founder has been allowed to take the group’s legal challenge to the Supreme Court after a ruling that its ban was lawful, and police arrested 117 people at a protest linked to the case.
In tech and media
OpenAI has quietly changed ChatGPT so it will no longer respond to prompts asking it to write in the style of famous authors, living or dead. A small win for copyright lawyers, and for anyone tired of every chatbot sounding like it audited a creative writing course.
In international football
UEFA’s 55 member associations have backed a boycott threat over FIFA’s plan to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors. UEFA says it could pull national teams from FIFA events, including World Cups, if the proposal goes ahead.
In Argentina
President Javier Milei’s government says it has approved changes allowing the expulsion of foreigners over hostility toward Argentina and Argentinians. No specific cases were cited when the move was announced.
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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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