Latest Episode
October 22: Pentagon Heat Ray Testing and Russian Strikes in Ukraine
In Australia
Meta faces a class-action lawsuit alleging that its social media platforms harmed children. The case could be the first in Australia to seek to hold social media responsible for harm to its users.
In Serbia
Thousands gathered in Belgrade ahead of this weekend’s snap parliamentary elections. Student protesters arriving from across Serbia were greeted Wednesday with cheers, music and waving flags before a final rally.
In U.S. news
The Pentagon has authorized the Department of Homeland Security to test a military-grade heat ray and develop tactics for possible use at the southern border, CNN reports, citing a memo signed last month by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Active Denial System fires an invisible electromagnetic beam that causes a burning sensation on skin. The military describes it as nonlethal and says its range is slightly more than half a mile.
In North Carolina, five of six Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers implicated in an allegedly racist group chat have resigned this month. Messages allegedly showed officers competing over arrests and traffic stops involving Black residents. The scandal has raised questions about the officers’ credibility in criminal cases.
Mexico is demanding a full investigation into a Mexican national’s death at an immigration detention facility. The death has renewed concerns about alleged medical neglect in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
In cybersecurity
The FBI, CISA and international partners say SafePay ransomware has hit at least 600 organizations across critical infrastructure sectors since August 2024. The agencies say attackers use stolen credentials, password attacks and VPN access before stealing and encrypting data. They recommend patching internet-facing devices, enabling multifactor authentication and keeping backups offline, encrypted and protected from alteration.
In Ukraine
Russian strikes killed seven people after a U.S. envoy met with Vladimir Putin. In the early hours, Ukraine’s air force warned that more ballistic missiles were heading toward Kyiv and urged residents to stay in shelters.
In the United Kingdom
The National Police Chiefs’ Council says officers made 452 arrests during Operation Lockstream, including 267 for alleged immigration offenses. The operation targeted suspected organized immigration crime on roads, railways and at ports between September 21 and October 5. Police say they seized 491 vehicles, 40 kilograms of cannabis, 22 weapons and more than 600,000 pounds in cash.
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.
Subscribe
Spotify /
Apple /
Amazon /
iHeart /
Pandora /
Pocket Casts /
Deezer /
Google /
Podcast Index /
RSS