Latest Episode
May 3 Morning Brief
In international security
Iran is facing one of its longest internet shutdowns on record, and a clandestine network is smuggling Starlink terminals into the country so people can get back online. An Iranian man identified as Sahand says he has sent about a dozen terminals since January, while activists believe tens of thousands may already be inside Iran. The devices were criminalized last year, with prison terms of two to ten years depending on the scale. SpaceX has not commented, which is hardly a surprise.
Separately, Kyiv says Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine killed at least 10 people and injured more than 76 others in the past 24 hours.
In Britain
Police in Avon and Somerset say two people died after a house explosion in Bristol on Sunday morning, and the incident is being treated as suspicious. A major incident has been declared, and police say they do not believe it was terrorism-related.
In London, the Green Party’s Zack Polanski says he would discourage the chant “globalise the intifada,” but he does not support banning the phrase or stopping a planned pro-Palestine march. His comments come after Keir Starmer called for tougher action following last week’s attack on Jewish people in Golders Green. Polanski also says he still has concerns about the police response to that knife attack, after previously apologising for sharing a post about it too quickly.
And the Met Police has issued written warnings to two officers who photographed a body on their phones, then apologised to those affected. A basic reminder that discretion is still part of the job.
In the U.S.
New polling from Washington Post-ABC News shows Donald Trump’s disapproval at 62 percent, the highest of either of his terms, while approval sits at 37 percent. Support among Republicans remains strong, but Trump is underwater on every issue measured, and two-thirds of Americans say the country is heading in the wrong direction.
Lawmakers from both parties are also starting to take AI more seriously as concern grows over jobs, energy costs, education, privacy, and mental health. The response is still cautious and uneven, which is apparently the bipartisan part.
Meanwhile, the conservative media company The Daily Wire says it is cutting about half its staff as Ben Shapiro’s YouTube views have fallen sharply.
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