Latest Episode
May 27 2000 UTC Brief
In tech and security
CrowdStrike, Google and the Shadowserver Foundation say they have disrupted infrastructure used by the Glassworm cybercrime group, cutting off access to victims. The group had been using a remote access trojan to repeatedly target developers of widely used open-source software. A tidy reminder that even the people who build the internet have to keep swatting at the plumbing.
In U.S. news
A Trump supporter in California died after what witnesses described as an unprovoked attack outside a home, and the suspect now faces multiple charges. The case is being investigated as a violent assault that turned fatal.
Matthew Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, was sentenced to 41 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Prosecutors said he played a central role in the drug supply that led to Perry’s death.
President Trump also held a Cabinet meeting that touched on Iran, Ebola, the midterms, and renovation plans in Washington. Separate from that, he said Oman should “behave” over the Strait of Hormuz or face U.S. attack, a comment that managed to be both alarming and oddly specific.
In Europe and the Middle East
Russia is moving ahead with legislation that would give banks a role in shooting down Ukrainian drones, using jamming systems and trained employees at financial institutions to help with air defense. That is one way to expand national security, if your definition of “national security” includes the teller line.
Several EU states have summoned Russian envoys over threats involving Kyiv, even as Moscow signals some acceptance of a ceasefire idea. The diplomatic temperature remains high, and the gap between public hints and actual restraint still looks wide.
In Latin America
Colombian President Gustavo Petro is under criminal investigation over allegations that he improperly intervened in politics four days before voters went to the polls. The case adds another legal headache to an already contentious political climate.
In society
New figures from England and Wales show White British births falling to a record low, with more than a third of mothers born overseas and 27 percent of births to two foreign-born parents. The data also show births to European-born mothers declining, while births to mothers from Middle Eastern and Asian backgrounds rose.
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