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From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-13 12:03:03
OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 is as Good as Mythos at Finding Security Vulnerabilities
The UK’s AI Security Institute evaluated GPT-5.5’s ability to find security vulnerabilities, and found that it is comparable to Claude Mythos. Note that the OpenAI model is generally available.
Here is the Institute’s evaluation of Mythos.
And here is an analysis of a smaller, cheaper model. It requires more scaffolding from the prompter, but it is also just as good.
From Breaking History at 2026-05-13 10:00:00
What the Founders Really Meant to Say (CBS8521116824.mp3?updated=1778632076)
Robert Parkinson is a historian at SUNY Binghamton who has spent 25 years studying the American Revolutionary period. His new book, Tyrants and Rogues, arrives just in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence — and it argues that we’ve been reading that document wrong for most of those 250 years. In this episode, Parkinson explains why the 27 grievances that follow the famous preamble are the real heart of the Declaration, what Congress actually debated and deleted from Thomas Jefferson’s original draft, and why someone in that room made sure race would be the last and most explosive grievance on the list. He also explains why those grievances, written in panic and desperation in the summer of 1776, feel newly urgent today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From Odd Lots at 2026-05-13 09:00:00
Samanth Subramanian on the Undersea Cables That Keep the Internet Alive (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
In 2006, then-Senator Ted Stevens coined an infamous term for how to understand the internet: It's a "series of tubes." The funny thing is, that's a fairly accurate description. Underneath the world's oceans, miles and miles of fiber optic-cables send packets of information from one location to the next, serving as the backbone of the internet as know it. This infrastructure is delicate, too: Memorably, a 2022 volcanic eruption cut off the island of Tonga from web access for an extended period of time. Journalist Samanth Subramanian is the author of The Web Beneath the Waves: The Fragile Cables That Connect Our World, a book that explains, in detail, that the internet is not, and has never been, truly weightless or wireless. In fact, the system in place right now is pretty old school and resembles the telegraph cable network of yore. We talk to Subramanian about the strange contradictions of the undersea cable system, how much basic marine geography — like the Strait of Hormuz or the Suez Canal — informs where cables are laid, and how hard it is protect this vulnerable and vital infrastructure.
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From GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics at 2026-05-12 18:39:35
“Deciders”, “Honey Badgers”, and “Lonely Liberals”: Sarah Isgur on a Divided Supreme Court (GoodFellows_2026-05-11_-_Sarah_Isgur_wip02_podcast_7vw29.mp3)
Is it time to rethink the configuration of the US Supreme Court – not nine justices divided along lockstep ideological lines, but three groups of three justices, each clique with a different approach to jurisprudence? So argues court watcher and legal analyst Sarah Isgur, who discusses her new book, Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court, and explains where the justices stand on a series of contentious issues (“birthright citizenship”, the administrative state, abortion, the court’s relationship with an antagonistic president on matters like tariffs and executive authority, plus maintaining a semblance of impartiality in a polarized Washington). After that: the three fellows discuss what’s next in Iran with peace negotiations seemingly at an impasse, what to expect from this week’s US-China summit in Beijing, plus what challenges lie ahead for Hoover fellow Kevin Warsh as he takes over as the Federal Reserve’s new chair. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-12 16:37:02
Trump says US-Iran ceasefire ‘on life support’: can Xi Jinping revive it? (media.mp3)
The US-Iran ceasefire is on ‘life support,’ says Donald Trump. Iran may enrich Uranium to weapons grade if the war resumes, says its government.
All this sets the stage for Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing this week, where he will ask Xi Jinping for help bringing the war to a satisfactory end.
Might the two most powerful men on the planet might find a way to re-open the Strait of Hormuz and end the war? But does China have the leverage to force Iran to act, and would Xi Jinping be willing to use it to help out Donald Trump?
Highlights
- Can China stop the Iran conflict from spiralling further?
- What will a successful US-China Summit look like for Trump?
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Allegra Mendelson, Asia Correspondent
Dr Alessandro Arduino, RUSI Associate Fellow, International Security
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Antonia Langford, Putin expands world’s largest drone factory
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/11/putin-expands-worlds-largest-drone-factory/
Benedict Smith, Trump: ceasefire with Iran is on life support
Robert White, UAE ‘carried out secret attacks on Iran’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/12/uae-secret-attacks-on-iran/
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
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► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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From The Django weblog at 2026-05-12 13:00:00
The Django Software Foundation is once again partnering with JetBrains to run the 2026 Django Developers Survey 🌈
It’s an important metric of Django usage and is immensely helpful to guide future technical and community decisions.
After the survey closes, we will publish the aggregated results. JetBrains will also randomly select 10 winners (from those who complete the survey in full with meaningful answers) who will each receive a $100 Amazon voucher or the equivalent in local currency.
How you can help
Once you’ve done the survey, take a moment to re-share on socials and with your communities. The more diverse the answers, the better the results for all of us.
Please use the following links:
-
Bluesky
https://surveys.jetbrains.com/s3/bs-django-developers-survey-2026 -
Django Forum
https://surveys.jetbrains.com/s3/df-django-developers-survey-2026 -
LinkedIn
https://surveys.jetbrains.com/s3/li-django-developers-survey-2026 -
Mastodon
https://surveys.jetbrains.com/s3/md-django-developers-survey-2026 -
Reddit
https://surveys.jetbrains.com/s3/r-django-developers-survey-2026 -
X / Twitter
https://surveys.jetbrains.com/s3/x-django-developers-survey-2026
From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-12 12:06:12
This is the worst Linux vulnerability in years.
TL;DR
- copy.fail is a Linux kernel local privilege escalation, not a browser or clipboard attack. Disclosed by Theori on 29 April 2026 with a working PoC.
- It abuses the kernel crypto API (AF_ALG sockets) plus splice() to write four bytes at a time straight into the page cache of a file the attacker does not own.
- The exploit works unmodified across Ubuntu, RHEL, Debian, SUSE, Amazon Linux, Fedora and most others. No race condition, no per-distro offsets.
- The file on disk is never modified. AIDE, Tripwire and checksum-based monitoring see nothing. ...
From School of War at 2026-05-12 10:00:00
Trump Heads to China: Who Has the Upper Hand? With Dan Blumenthal (CBS4532807469.mp3?updated=1778560558)
Dan Blumenthal, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins the show to discuss the president’'s upcoming summit in Beijing with President Xi Jinping. What are President Trump’s goals? How will war with Iran affect the meeting? And what do these discussions mean for the future of conflict in the Indo-Pacific? 02:12 Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping 03:38 Trump’s goals at summit 04:48 China’s leverage over Iran 05:57 China’s principal interest in the Middle East 08:14 U.S. sanctions on Iran and China 10:22 China’s diversified energy imports 13:05 American-Chinese competition 15:34 Defense industrial base issues 16:03 AI factor 16:34 China’s industrial leverage 19:05 Economic showdown 24:43 The Taiwan issue 26:22 Global conflict lessons for Taiwan 28:46 Division of Taiwanese politics 31:46 Stakes for the future Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press.
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-05-11 23:28:19
Linux bitten by second severe vulnerability in as many weeks
Production-version patches are coming online and should be installed pronto.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-11 16:37:47
Netanyahu says war not over as US and Iran veto rival peace proposals (media.mp3)
As Donald Trump rejects Iran’s rejection of his peace terms, diplomatic efforts to end the war are back where they started. David Blair explains how this leaves Donald Trump with little choice to restart the war - but with little appetite to do so.
And with time running out before the US president heads to China for a high-stake summit with Xi Jinping. Memphis Barker explains how Xi Jinping could help Donald Trump to end the war, why he is unlikely to be terribly helpful, and why some fear the US might sell out Taiwan in exchange for Chinese help.
Highlights
- Netanyahu preparing to reengage militarily
- Can Xi Jinping help Donald Trump find an off-ramp from the Iran war?
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator, @davidblairdt
Memphis Barker, senior foreign correspondent, @memphisbarker
CONTENT REFERENCED:
‘Double-dealing’ Pakistan plots windfall from Iran peacemaker role
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/03/pakistan-takes-centre-stage-in-iran-negotiations/
Trump now has three options. They are all bad
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/06/trump-three-options-all-bad/
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-11 12:04:29
LLMs and Text-in-Text Steganography
Turns out that LLMs are really good at hiding text messages in other text messages.
From The Django weblog at 2026-05-11 12:00:00
DSF member of the month - Bhuvnesh Sharma
For May 2026, we welcome Bhuvnesh Sharma as our DSF member of the month! ⭐
Bhuvnesh is a Django contributor since 2022 and a Google Summer of Code (GSoC) participant in 2023 for Django. He is now a mentor and an admin organizer for GSoC for the Django organization. He is the founder of Django Events Foundation India (DEFI) and DjangoDay India conference. He has been a DSF member since July 2023. He is looking for new opportunities!
You can learn more about Bhuvnesh by visiting Bhuvnesh's website and his GitHub Profile.
Let’s spend some time getting to know Bhuvnesh better!
Can you tell us a little about yourself (hobbies, education, etc)
I’m Bhuvnesh (aka DevilsAutumn), a software developer from India. I graduated in 2024 from GL Bajaj Institute of technology and management, and most of my work has been around Python, Django and building backend systems. My journey with django started when I started contributing to Django core in 2022. I usually like working on things where there is an actual product involved, not just writing few APIs and closing the task. I like thinking about how the whole thing will work: models, permissions, background jobs, deployment, users, edge cases and all of that.
Apart from work, I like reading books around startups and entrepreneurship, watching movies, and honestly I overthink a lot about building products. Sometimes too much, but yeah that’s also how many ideas start for me. I’ve also been involved with the Django community through Django India, GSoC, Djangonaut Space and DjangoDay India, which has been a big part of my journey.
I'm curious, where your nickname "DevilsAutumn" comes from?
Haha, Nice question. So, there is one of my friend who used to write sci-fi novels. In 2022, I decided that I’ll have one unique coding name for me and thinking that I have a friend who write novels his imagination must be great, I went to him to ask for name ideas and one of the names he suggested was DevilsAutumn, since then I use that as my nickname.
How did you start using Django?
When I was in my exploring phase, I was really curious and trying out different languages, frameworks etc. and I read a blog post from Instagram engineering team about Django being used at instagram. A framework which is a backbone of a product used by billions of users, will get anyone curious. From there I started exploring Django and I fell in love with it. The framework, the community, the documentation - all of it was amazing.
What other framework do you know and if there is anything you would like to have in Django if you had magical powers?
I have also worked with FastAPI and I find that really cool as well. But the calmness django has is unbeatable.
If I had magical powers, I’d be living on the moon. Just kidding. 😆
There are a couple of things that I would love in Django:
First is "modernising" the website which is already underway. The website feels very boring and outdated. I’d love to see a modern version.
Second, I would love to see Django have built-in support for creating REST APIs. DRF is amazing and it has done a lot for the Django ecosystem, but because it is still an external library, there are some rough edges. Sometimes serialization can feel a bit slow or heavy, the learning curve is different from regular Django, and you also depend on a separate package for something which has become a core need in modern web apps.
What projects are you working on now?
I am currently working on a project called Trevo, which helps people find activities happening around them which anyone can join and socialize with others in real life.
Apart from that, I am also working on an open source python library which is a migration safety toolkit for Django. It's called django-migrations-inspector. It helps you find problems in your migration files before they go into production.
Which Django libraries are your favorite (core or 3rd party)?
Although there is a long list, I’d probably say Django REST Framework (DRF), django-import-export, and django-debug-toolbar.
DRF is the obvious one because I’ve used it a lot for building APIs with Django. Even with some rough edges, it has been very important for the ecosystem 😛
I also really like django-import-export, mostly because in real projects you always end up needing some Excel/CSV import export kind of thing, and this just saves time.
And django-debug-toolbar because it has made debugging queries and performance issues much easier for me personally.
What are the top three things in Django that you like?
I think the first thing has to be the community. People in the Django community are genuinely nice and helpful, and the docs are also really good. A lot of times, when you are stuck, either the documentation has already explained it properly or someone has discussed the same thing before.
Second, I really like the ecosystem around Django. For most of the common things you need while building a product, there is usually already a good package available. And Django itself also gives you so much out of the box, so you don’t have to build every basic thing from scratch.
And third is Django admin. Honestly, I really like it. Some people may not think of it as a very exciting feature, but when you are building real products, having a working admin panel so quickly is super useful. It saves a lot of time.
You are one of the admin organizers of GSoC program for Django organization, thank you for helping. How is going for you? Do you need help?
It has been going well so far, thank you for asking. I’m really happy to help with organizing GSoC for Django. It’s always nice to see contributors getting involved and working on meaningful projects, I even posted about it on LinkedIn.
Everything is good for now, but I’ll reach out in case I need any help. In fact, we are also working creating GSoC working group to make things more smooth for future. I’m sure that is also going to help us.
You have been part of Djangonaut Space program as a Navigator (Mentor) in the first session. How did you find the experience? What is your reflection on the program after so many times?
It was a great experience! I love to help people who are new to open-source and guide them just like I was guided by a mentor in my college days. I believe anyone can do great things in life if they are given proper mentorship. That's my motivation behind getting involved in Djangonaut Space.
Djangonaut Space program has created a strong community of developers from all background that love Django. A lot of people want to contribute to open source, but they don’t always know where to start, or they feel the project is too big for them. Djangonaut Space helped reduce that fear by giving people guidance, structure, and a friendly space to ask questions.
Even after all this time, I still feel it is one of the best community-led efforts around Django. It doesn’t just help people contribute code, it helps them feel that they belong in the community.
Do you have any advice for folks would like to consider mentoring through GSoC or Djangonaut Space?
I just want to say that people who are experienced, who have been contributing to Django or people who are maintaining any 3rd party package, must consider mentoring through GSoC or Djangonaut Space program. It is one of the most impactful way to contribute to open source in my opinion because you are not just guiding a few people, you might be guiding the next generation of mentors, Django maintainers, org admins, community leaders or Djangonaut Space organizers.
And mentorship plays the most important role in maintaining the ecosystem that django has created for years.
You have been previously a participant of GSoC for Django organization, you are now an admin of the organization. That's great! How did you get to this point? Did you ever imagine you would end up here?
Haha honestly, no. I don’t think I ever imagined it would turn out this way. When I first got into GSoC with Django, I was just really happy to be there and contribute. At that time, I was mostly focused on learning, understanding the project better, and trying not to mess things up 😅
But after that I kind of stayed around. I kept contributing, stayed connected with the community, mentored in Djangonaut Space, then mentored in GSoC 2024, and slowly started getting more involved in the community and organizing side of things too.
So it was never like I had this clear plan that one day I’ll become an org admin. It just happened very naturally over time, mostly because I kept showing up and people trusted me with more responsibility.
Now being on this side feels a little unreal, but also very special. I know how it feels to be a contributor, how confusing and exciting it can be, so I really care about making the experience good for others too.
In a way, it feels like a full-circle moment, but also like there’s still a lot more to learn and do.
You are the founder of DjangoDay India and Django Events Foundation India, could you tell us a bit more on the event and what made you create this structure?
DjangoDay India started from a very simple thought, like we should have a proper Django-focused event in India. There are a lot of people here using Django — developers, students, companies — but we didn’t really have one place where everyone can come together. It was really difficult to organize DjangoDay India in 2025 because it was the first Django event happening at that scale in India but we still made it because of the amazing team.
Django Events Foundation India (DEFI) was created to give this some structure. I didn’t wanted DjangoDay India to become just a one-time thing or something which only depends on me. Apart from that, I even want to support more local Django events happening around India through DEFI. The idea is to make it sustainable, community-first, and slowly involve more people. For me, it is mainly about growing the Django ecosystem in India and giving people a space to speak, volunteer, sponsor, contribute, and maybe later lead also.
Do you remember your first contribution to Django and in open source?
Yes, so I was going through someone else’s PR which got merged and in that I found a small typo in the comment. Then I created a new PR to fix that. It was my first contribution to Django.
Talking about the first open source contribution, it was adding some phone number validation checks in validatorjs library.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Nothing much, just thank you for having me here. If someone is thinking of contributing to Django but feels scared, please don’t worry. Most of us also started by staring at the codebase and pretending we understood what was happening. Just start small, ask questions, and slowly it starts making sense.
Thank you for doing the interview, Bhuvnesh !
From Odd Lots at 2026-05-11 09:00:00
The Bank of England's Megan Greene on Monetary Policy in a World of Supply Shocks (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
Ever since Covid, central banks around the world have had the same problem. They have tools that are designed to modulate demand, but so many challenges have involved the supply side of the economy. Whether we're talking about supply chain disruptions, the war in Ukraine, and now the war in Iran, these are all issues for which monetary policy is of limited value. Of course, the temptation is to "look through" these events, recognizing the fact that these disruptions don't say much about the actual underlying state of the economy. But when we get one shock after another, it gets harder and harder to keep using words like "transitory." On this episode we speak with Megan Greene, an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England. We talk about the compounding effects of all these shocks (including the trade war and Brexit), how she's thinking about the first- and second-order effects of each, and why for now, despite the underlying weakness of the UK economy, she remains squarely focused on the risks of higher inflation.
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From The Rest Is History at 2026-05-11 00:05:00
668. Greece vs Persia: The Rise of the First Superpower (Part 1) (GLT8965800182.mp3?updated=1778317141)
Why did the Persian Empire cross the Aegean to destroy Athens in 490BC? Who was Darius, the King of Kings, and the most powerful man in the world? And, how did this totemic invasion unfold? Join Tom and Dominic as they launch into one of the most cataclysmic clashes in all ancient history: Persia’s invasion of Greece. Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com To read our new newsletter, sign up at: therestishistory.com/newsletters _______ Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations. _______ Advertise with us: Partnerships@goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Balden Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude Senior Producer: Callum Hill Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From The Week in Westminster at 2026-05-09 11:44:00
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster
From More or Less at 2026-05-09 06:00:00
Why it’s wrong to say vaping is as bad for you as smoking (p0nk4nly.mp3)
According to the World Health organisation, smoking kills some 7 million people every year. It is one of the world’s leading causes of preventable death.
Because smoking causes lung cancer and other awful health conditions, many smokers switch to vaping - using nicotine-based e-cigarettes.
But the World Health organisation is also concerned about vaping. Last year they said 100 million people around the world are now using e-cigarettes, including millions of children, and warned that they were fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction.
But how do the health risks of these two means of getting nicotine into your bloodstream compare?
According to a recent headline in the Daily Mail, they’re basically the same. Here’s the headline:
“Vaping is linked to lung and mouth cancer in major study, as experts warn: 'It is NOT safer than smoking’”
But is vaping really just as bad for you as smoking?
CONTRIBUTOR:
Professor Lion Shahab, Co-Director of the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group
CREDITS:
Presenter: Charlotte McDonald Reporter/producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Dave O’Neil Editor: Richard Vadon
From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2026-05-09 00:11:15
Collections: Raising Carthaginian Armies, Part IV: Allies and Mercenaries
This is the fourth part of our series (I, II, III) looking at how Carthage’s complex, multi-ethnic armies were raised and structured. Last week, we looked at Carthage’s unusual system for raising vassal forces: long-serving Carthaginian generals could inhabit positions within the personalist, non-state mobilization systems of Numidia and Iberia, enabling them to access military … Continue reading Collections: Raising Carthaginian Armies, Part IV: Allies and Mercenaries
From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-08 22:03:28
Friday Squid Blogging: Giant Squid Live in the Waters of Western Australia
Evidence of them has been found by analyzing DNA in the seawater.
As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered.
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-05-08 19:33:48
Chaos erupts as cyberattack disrupts learning platform Canvas amid finals
Across the country, schools and colleges postpone year-end tests.
From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-08 18:49:01
Insider trading is rife on Polymarket:
Analysis by the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, a non-profit research and advocacy group, found that long-shot bets—defined as wagers of $2,500 or more at odds of 35 percent or less—on the platform had an average win rate of around 52 percent in markets on military and defense actions.
That compares with a win rate of 25 percent across all politics-focused markets and just 14 percent for all markets on the platform as a whole.
It is absolutely insane that this is legal. We already know how insider betting warps sports. Insider betting warping politics—and military actions—is orders of magnitude worse...
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-08 18:09:46
‘Love tap’ or ‘reckless adventure’? US and Iran trade fire and blame (media.mp3)
The US and Iran have traded fire - and blame - in the Strait of Hormuz, is the war about to restart?
The ceasefire is looking shakier than ever after America bombed Iranian coastal cities overnight. It said it was a response to Tehran attacking three US destroyers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Today, Iran has attacked the UAE with drones and missiles. President Donald Trump says the US strikes were just a “love tap”, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi calls it a “reckless military adventure”.
Venetia Rainey is joined by Washington bureau chief Arthur MacMillan to discuss the view from the US following a week of U-turns and uncertainty. He explains why he does not have high expectations of a peace deal being struck before Trump goes to China, what the American public make of the war, and why the US may well pull more troops out of Europe.
Plus, Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin takes listeners inside a Hezbollah tunnel in a dispatch from southern Lebanon, where he reports on Israel’s plan to create a northern buffer zone in the style of Gaza.
Highlights
- ‘Love tap’ or ‘reckless adventure’? US and Iran trade fire and blame
- Plus: a dispatch from inside a Hezbollah tunnel in Lebanon
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Arthur MacMillan, Washington bureau chief @arthurmacmillan
Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Connor Stringer: How Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ fell apart in one day
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/05/06/us-iran-trump-military-diplomacy-project-freedom/
Henry Bodkin: Inside the tunnels that show Hezbollah doesn’t want peace with Israel
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-08 18:09:46
‘Love tap’ or ‘reckless adventure’? US and Iran trade fire and blame (media.mp3)
The US and Iran have traded fire - and blame - in the Strait of Hormuz, is the war about to restart?
The ceasefire is looking shakier than ever after America bombed Iranian coastal cities overnight. It said it was a response to Tehran attacking three US destroyers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Today, Iran has attacked the UAE with drones and missiles. President Donald Trump says the US strikes were just a “love tap”, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi calls it a “reckless military adventure”.
Venetia Rainey is joined by Washington bureau chief Arthur MacMillan to discuss the view from the US following a week of U-turns and uncertainty. He explains why he does not have high expectations of a peace deal being struck before Trump goes to China, what the American public make of the war, and why the US may well pull more troops out of Europe.
Plus, Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin takes listeners inside a Hezbollah tunnel in a dispatch from southern Lebanon, where he reports on Israel’s plan to create a northern buffer zone in the style of Gaza.
Highlights
- ‘Love tap’ or ‘reckless adventure’? US and Iran trade fire and blame
- Plus: a dispatch from inside a Hezbollah tunnel in Lebanon
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Arthur MacMillan, Washington bureau chief @arthurmacmillan
Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Connor Stringer: How Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ fell apart in one day
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/05/06/us-iran-trump-military-diplomacy-project-freedom/
Henry Bodkin: Inside the tunnels that show Hezbollah doesn’t want peace with Israel
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From The Incomparable Mothership at 2026-05-08 17:15:00
816: Fascism for Algernon (1887e254-b708-406f-8066-9ec03cce5b6b.mp3)
Put on your eye phones and jack in to the cyberscape! Rocket Surgery comes for 1996’s cyberpunk epic “Lawnmower Man 2.” (Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the original “Lawnmower Man,” half of us didn’t either.) Matt Frewer is Max Headrooming it up! A bunch of urchins populate a rainy L.A. that’s straight out of “Blade Runner,” but, you know—cheaper. There’s a brilliant doctor in charge of virtual-reality research, and also there’s Jennifer! And everything in the future is hackable!...
From School of War at 2026-05-08 10:00:00
America’s Coming Population Crash—and China’s, with Nicholas Eberstadt (CBS9627331013.mp3?updated=1778216224)
Nicholas Eberstadt, the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, joins School of War to discuss global population decline. What does a shrinking and aging population mean for the United States? What does it mean for China, whose demographic crisis may be even more severe? How could population decline reshape economic growth, military power, and geopolitical competition? And what happens to the international order when the world stops growing? 03:02 Population decline in America 006:15 Deaths exceeding births in the US 07:31 Global birth crash 14:49 Grounds for optimism 17:12 Small family trend 18:17 GDP relationship with population size 19:23 Individual prosperity vs. National strength 21:24 Rise in human life expectancy 24:36 Ben Carson’s prediction 27:11 Ukraine’s military revolution 30:47 American bad habits 33:48 AI and the labor market 37:25 Chinese depopulation crisis 48:50 What would a world war look like today? 51:48 US Alliance relationships Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press.
From Odd Lots at 2026-05-08 09:00:00
Mariana Mazzucato Thinks We Need More Moonshots (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
Today's guest Mariana Mazzucato is one of our most requested. Mazzucato, who is the director of the University College London Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, specializes in the political economy of technological development and public sector investment. In our conversation, recorded in Madrid while at the Bloomberg CityLab conference, she explains her concept of the "mission economy," her definition of state capacity, how to prevent top talent from fleeing to the private sector, and whether consultants or governments should be blamed for inefficiencies and civic failures. It's a wide-ranging interview, one that covers everything from the initial public financing of Silicon Valley algorithms to the history of moonshots.
Subscribe to the Odd Lots Newsletter
Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-05-07 20:18:16
Mozilla says 271 vulnerabilities found by Mythos have "almost no false positives"
The developer of Firefox says it has "completely bought in" on AI-assisted bug discovery.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-07 16:08:40
‘Trump could reopen Hormuz if he dared, I’ve done it’: a rear admiral speaks out (media.mp3)
The focus of the US-Iran war rests once again on the Strait of Hormuz, is there any way to get it open again?
Since Donald Trump cancelled Project Freedom, Iran’s chokehold on the vital waterway is as tight as ever. But James Parkin has some ideas. The former Royal Navy rear admiral was in charge of the task force that broke the last attempted IRGC shut down in 2019, and tells Roland Oliphant that the US could do it again - if it really wanted to.
He also explains what it is like fighting the fanatical but talented sailors of the IRGC navy, and why he thinks their claims to have mined the Strait are probably lies.
Plus, The Telegraph’s foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii gives the view from Iran amid growing expectations of an imminent peace deal today, and Venetia Rainey looks at why Israel has suddenly bombed Beirut despite a ceasefire. They also discuss the latest news of extensive damage to American bases in the Gulf and the long-term implications.
Highlights
- ‘Trump could reopen Hormuz if he dared, I’ve done it’
- Retired Royal Navy rear admiral James Parkin speaks out
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Akhtar Makoii, foreign correspondent @akhtar_makoii
James Parkin, retired Royal Navy rear admiral
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Connor Stringer: How Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ fell apart in one day
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/05/06/us-iran-trump-military-diplomacy-project-freedom/
Henry Bodkin: US and Iran ‘close’ to deal to end war
Akhtar Makoii: Trump and Mojtaba Khamenei have more in common than they realise
Washington Post: Iran has hit far more U.S. military assets than reported, satellite images show
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/05/06/iran-us-bases-satellite-images/
NBC: Trump’s abrupt U-turn on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz came after backlash from allies
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-07 16:08:40
‘Trump could reopen Hormuz if he dared, I’ve done it’: a rear admiral speaks out (media.mp3)
The focus of the US-Iran war rests once again on the Strait of Hormuz, is there any way to get it open again?
Since Donald Trump cancelled Project Freedom, Iran’s chokehold on the vital waterway is as tight as ever. But James Parkin has some ideas. The former Royal Navy rear admiral was in charge of the task force that broke the last attempted IRGC shut down in 2019, and tells Roland Oliphant that the US could do it again - if it really wanted to.
He also explains what it is like fighting the fanatical but talented sailors of the IRGC navy, and why he thinks their claims to have mined the Strait are probably lies.
Plus, The Telegraph’s foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii gives the view from Iran amid growing expectations of an imminent peace deal today, and Venetia Rainey looks at why Israel has suddenly bombed Beirut despite a ceasefire. They also discuss the latest news of extensive damage to American bases in the Gulf and the long-term implications.
Highlights
- ‘Trump could reopen Hormuz if he dared, I’ve done it’
- Retired Royal Navy rear admiral James Parkin speaks out
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Akhtar Makoii, foreign correspondent @akhtar_makoii
James Parkin, retired Royal Navy rear admiral
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Connor Stringer: How Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ fell apart in one day
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/05/06/us-iran-trump-military-diplomacy-project-freedom/
Henry Bodkin: US and Iran ‘close’ to deal to end war
Akhtar Makoii: Trump and Mojtaba Khamenei have more in common than they realise
Washington Post: Iran has hit far more U.S. military assets than reported, satellite images show
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/05/06/iran-us-bases-satellite-images/
NBC: Trump’s abrupt U-turn on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz came after backlash from allies
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From The Briefing Room at 2026-05-07 14:45:00
Are we still going to Mars? (p0njwhj6.mp3)
A month ago the Artemis II crew landed safely in the Pacific Ocean, completing their historic space mission to the far side of the moon. It’s been several decades since the last human mission to the moon - although this time there was no landing. However, the 4 astronauts travelled further from earth than any human ever has so far. David Aaronovitch asks his guests whether space exploration is back in fashion and if so what’s next? And are we any closer to a human mission to Mars and what would we hope to achieve there?
Guests: Julia Balm, Research Associate, Freeman Air and Space Institute in the School of Security Studies, King’s College London Professor Andrew Coates, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London Libby Jackson, Head of Space, Science Museum, London
Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-Ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon
From Breaking History at 2026-05-07 13:00:00
Roald Dahl: Genius and Bigot (CBS6650714853.mp3?updated=1778117409)
For tickets to our live recording with Jon Meacham in Philadelphia, click here and register. Use code TFP for a 20 percent discount. Roald Dahl gave the world Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He was also a vicious antisemite. A Broadway play about Dahl’s legacy; the new Michael Jackson biopic; Kanye West’s attempted redemption arc; all of these have the culture asking again: How do we approach brilliant art produced by morally compromised artists? Throughout history, some of the world’s preeminent literary geniuses have also been deeply bigoted, even monstrous people. In this episode, Shilo is joined by Eli Lake, host of Breaking History, for a conversation about these geniuses, from Voltaire to Norman Mailer, and why we should read their work despite their odious prejudices. Old School is proudly brought to you by the Jack Miller Center. If you believe in the importance of civic education and want to help prepare the next generation to carry on our democracy, join us at JackMillerCenter.org. Become a paid subscriber to The Free Press today to enjoy exclusive bonus episodes and reduced ads. Click here to subscribe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-07 12:07:07
Smart Glasses for the Authorities
ICE is developing its own version of smart glasses, with facial recognition tied to various databases.
From Net Assessment at 2026-05-07 12:00:00
Is the US a Predatory Hegemon? (Net_Assessment_-_7_May_2026_v1.mp3?dest-id=808287)
Do we live in a world governed only by force, one in which the United States' military and economic power alone will advance U.S. interests? Or are the Trump administration's efforts to intimidate even U.S. allies and partners bound to generate resistance? And what will be the consequences for Americans if Trump's predatory behavior fails? Grievances for Charles Lieber, a former Harvard scientist now building China's i-BRAIN lab, for Beijing's efforts to block U.S. economic sanctions, and to the U.S. State Department for refusing to recognize foreign service officers killed in the service of the country. Attas to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy for declining to bail out Spirit Airlines, for King Charles for his flawless visit to the United States, and to those members of Congress finally standing up to Trump's claim that he can wage war wherever he wants, for as long as he wants.
Show Links:
-
Stephen Walt, "The Predatory Hegemon" Foreign Affairs, March/April 2026.
-
Elissa Miolene, "Exiled from State, America's foreign service holds its own memorial," Devex, May 4, 2026.
-
"China's Commerce Ministry blocks US sanctions against five refineries," Reuters, May 2, 2026.
-
"Sean Duffy stands up for taxpayers," Washington Post, May 3, 2026.
-
Alex Bristow, "James Curran is Wrong about Japan's Realist PM and China," Sidney Morning Herald, May 3, 2026.
-
David Kirton, "Convicted Former Harvard Scientist Rebuilds Brain Computer Lab in China," Reuters, April 30, 2026.
From Strong Message Here at 2026-05-07 10:00:00
Technological Republic (with Stewart Lee and Carole Cadwalladr) (p0njrbk2.mp3)
What is the Technological Republic?
Armando, Stewart and founder of The Nerve, Carole Cadwalladr, discuss the language and posture of the manifesto released by Palantir's Alex Karp last year.
We look at how Tech bros frame those who block their progress, their effusive language about their products, why they might reflect on linguistic parallels with George Orwell's works.
Armando also describes William Shatner's prose, in which he finds, having read his book, Tech War, that his sentences seem to run on, perhaps one or two clauses longer than a sentence should, which interested him, but also made for a challenging read, which in turn made it worthy of discussion on this week's programme.
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk
Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Giulia Mazzu
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Recorded at the Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
From Odd Lots at 2026-05-07 09:00:00
How an American City Can Become a Manufacturing Hub (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
The residents of Allentown are still sore about that Billy Joel song. While it's true the Pennsylvania city became synonymous with deindustrialization after the US steel industry began its decline in the 1970s, Allentown should be known for more: In the 1950s, for instance, some of the first mass-produced transistors were made in the city, which were the precursor of today's semiconductors. The city is also a unique logistics and e-commerce hub — it's a day's drive from nearly 40 percent of the US population. Mayor Matthew Tuerk, who has held office since 2022, has made reindustrialization a focus of his mayorship. In today's episode, recorded in Madrid at the Bloomberg CityLab conference, we speak to Mayor Tuerk about the city's grand strategy for building back and sustaining its manufacturing base, implementing industrial policy on a local level, how rezoning has changed in the last decade, the political puzzle of data centers, recruiting companies to come to Allentown, de-risking the American supply chain, and our favorite new category of industry — weight-gaining industries — which Allentown specializes in.
Read more:
New Brookfield Venture May Restart Abandoned US Nuclear Project
Texas Ranch Lures Futuristic Startups to Revive US Manufacturing
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From The Rest Is History at 2026-05-07 00:05:00
667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (GLT1735270133.mp3?updated=1777982084)
Is there a secret meaning behind the Mona Lisa’s famously ambiguous smile? What light does the painting shed upon Renaissance Italy, and Leonardo da Vinci himself? And, who is the mysterious man or woman in the painting…? Join Dominic and Tom as they unfold the secret history behind the world’s most famous painting, and delve into the story behind its creator and creation. Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com To read our new newsletter, sign up at: therestishistory.com/newsletters _______ Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations. _______ Advertise with us: Partnerships@goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Balden Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude Senior Producer: Callum Hill Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From The Media Show at 2026-05-06 17:39:00
AI judging journalists, the BBC’s “Wrong Guy”, Saudi Arabia's media strategy, covering climate change (p0njp9z4.mp3)
This is a programme about the revolution in media.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-06 16:35:58
The end of Operation Epic Fury & why Trump is pulling troops from Germany (media.mp3)
Is America’s Operation Epic Fury really over?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US’s military campaign against the Iranian regime has finished, and there are growing reports of a US-Iran peace deal in the offing. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant break down the top three news stories you need to know today, from why Donald Trump has ended Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz to the importance of talks between Iran and China.
Plus, did a spat over the Iran war prompt Trump to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany last week? Berlin correspondent James Rothwell explains the significance of America’s significant troop presence in the country and why America’s pull-out is fuelling speculation that Nato is well and truly over.
Highlights
- The end of Operation Epic Fury amid growing talks of a peace deal
- Why Trump has pulled troops from Germany following Iran war spat
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
James Rothwell, Berlin correspondent @JamesERothwell
CONTENT REFERENCED:
David Blair: Trump now has three options. They are all bad
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/06/trump-three-options-all-bad/
Akhtar Makoii: Trump and Mojtaba Khamenei have more in common than they realise
Donald Tusk: Nato is disintegrating
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/02/donald-tusk-nato-is-disintegrating/
Why the US cannot fight another war after Iran without China’s help
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/30/us-cannot-fight-another-war-after-iran-without-china-help/
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-05-06 14:32:47
Ars Asks: Share your shell and show us your tricked-out terminals!
A celebration of the tweaks and customizations that make life easier at the CLI.
From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-06 11:36:59
Rowhammer Attack Against NVIDIA Chips
A new rowhammer attack gives complete control of NVIDIA CPUs.
On Thursday, two research teams, working independently of each other, demonstrated attacks against two cards from Nvidia’s Ampere generation that take GPU rowhammering into new—and potentially much more consequential—territory: GDDR bitflips that give adversaries full control of CPU memory, resulting in full system compromise of the host machine. For the attack to work, IOMMU memory management must be disabled, as is the default in BIOS settings.
“Our work shows that Rowhammer, which is well-studied on CPUs, is a serious threat on GPUs as well,” said Andrew Kwong, co-author of one of the papers. “...
From The Django weblog at 2026-05-06 01:34:44
Announcing the Google Summer of Code 2026 contributors for Django
The Django Software Foundation is happy to share the contributors selected for Google Summer of Code 2026.
This year, we received over 200 proposals from contributors across the world. The level of detail and thought in these proposals made the selection process both exciting and challenging.
Accepted Projects
We’re pleased to announce the following projects:
Implementing an experimental API framework for Django core
Contributor: Praful Gulani
Mentor: Andrew Miller
This project explores an approach to introducing experimental APIs in Django by modernizing DEP 2 and defining an opt-in model.
Add support for table-valued expressions in the ORM
Contributor: p-r-a-v-i-n
Mentors: Bhuvnesh Sharma, Jacob Walls
This project develops a way to join against table-valued expressions such as Subquery() or PostgreSQL functions like generate_series() within the ORM.
Unified dark mode and UI consistency for Django’s issue tracker
Contributor: Keha Chandrakar
Mentors: Saptak S, Sarah A
This project adds dark mode support to Django’s issue tracker and brings it closer in visual consistency to the main Django website.
Switch to Playwright tests for integration testing
Contributor: Varun Kasyap Pentamaraju
Mentor: Sarah Boyce
This project focuses on improving Django’s browser integration testing by transitioning from Selenium to Playwright.
Each of these projects focuses on areas of Django that we’re looking to improve over the coming months. Contributors will work closely with their mentors, participate in regular check-ins, and engage with the broader Django community.
To everyone who applied
Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal this year.
We know the effort it takes to explore ideas, write proposals, and engage with the community. Not being selected this time does not reflect the overall quality or potential of your work.
Given the number of applications and that the program is run by a small group of volunteers, we’re not able to provide individual feedback on proposals. Selections are based on a combination of factors including alignment with project goals, feasibility within the program timeline, prior contributions, and clarity of the proposal.
We encourage you to stay involved. Many contributors to Django started in similar positions. Keep building, keep contributing, and stay connected with the community. There will always be more opportunities.
What’s next
The community bonding period has begun, and contributors will soon start working on their projects. We’ll share updates as the program progresses and highlight the work along the way.
Please join us in welcoming the selected contributors and supporting them during the program.
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-05-05 20:46:15
Widely used Daemon Tools disk app backdoored in monthlong supply-chain attack
Daemon Tools users: It's time to check your machines for stealthy infections, stat.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-05 16:34:48
‘One step away from war’: Trump launches Project Freedom to open the Strait of Hormuz (media.mp3)
Is the US-Iran war about to restart amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz?
Donald Trump has launched Project Freedom - a US Navy mission to break the Iranian blockade imposed since the beginning of the war. However, while the White House has framed the escort of neutral vessels as a “humanitarian gesture”, Tehran sees it as an escalation. Iran has fired missiles and drones at ships and an oil port in the UAE, and today says it is “just getting started”.
Roland Oliphant and chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair discuss the latest updates and why both sides are now likely locked in a downward spiral, putting us “one step” away from renewed all-out fighting.
Plus, former US Navy submariner Bryan Clark, director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute, explains why America must put more force into the Strait of Hormuz if it wants to win against a patient enemy like Iran. He also talks through Iran’s remaining naval capabilities, from midget subs to fast boats.
Highlights
- Why Trump’s Project Freedom will fail without more force
- An ex-US Navy submariner on what it will take to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt
Bryan Clark, senior fellow Hudson Institute @clarkdefense
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Trump has finally realised he must seize the Strait of Hormuz
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/04/trump-finally-realised-seize-the-strait-of-hormuz/
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From The Django weblog at 2026-05-05 15:00:00
Django security releases issued: 6.0.5 and 5.2.14
In accordance with our security release policy, the Django team is issuing releases for Django 6.0.5 and Django 5.2.14. These releases address the security issues detailed below. We encourage all users of Django to upgrade as soon as possible.
CVE-2026-5766: Potential denial-of-service vulnerability in ASGI requests via file upload limit bypass
ASGI requests with a missing or understated Content-Length header could bypass the FILE_UPLOAD_MAX_MEMORY_SIZE limit, potentially loading large files into memory and causing service degradation.
As a reminder, Django expects a limit to be configured at the web server level rather than solely relying on FILE_UPLOAD_MAX_MEMORY_SIZE.
This issue has severity "low" according to the Django security policy.
This issue was originally highlighted by Kyle Agronick in Trac. Thanks to Jacob Walls for following up and reporting it.
CVE-2026-35192: Session fixation via public cached pages and SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST
Response headers did not vary on cookies if a session was not modified, but SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST was True. A remote attacker could steal a user's session after that user visits a cached public page.
This issue has severity "low" according to the Django security policy.
CVE-2026-6907: Potential exposure of private data due to incorrect handling of Vary: * in UpdateCacheMiddleware
Previously, django.middleware.cache.UpdateCacheMiddleware would erroneously cache requests where the Vary header contained an asterisk ('*'). This could lead to private data being stored and served.
This issue has severity "low" according to the Django security policy.
Thanks to Ahmad Sadeddin for the report.
Affected supported versions
- Django main
- Django 6.0
- Django 5.2
Resolution
Patches to resolve the issue have been applied to Django's main, 6.0, and 5.2 branches. The patches may be obtained from the following changesets.
CVE-2026-5766: Potential denial-of-service vulnerability in ASGI requests via file upload limit bypass
- On the main branch
- On the 6.0 branch
- On the 5.2 branch
CVE-2026-35192: Session fixation via public cached pages and SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST
- On the main branch
- On the 6.0 branch
- On the 5.2 branch
CVE-2026-6907: Potential exposure of private data due to incorrect handling of Vary: * in UpdateCacheMiddleware
- On the main branch
- On the 6.0 branch
- On the 5.2 branch
The following releases have been issued
The PGP key ID used for this release is Sarah Boyce: 3955B19851EA96EF
General notes regarding security reporting
As always, we ask that potential security issues be reported via private email
to security@djangoproject.com, and not via Django's Trac instance, nor via
the Django Forum. Please see
our security policies for further
information.
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-05-05 12:20:08
Why Reddit blocked my daily visit to its mobile website
Reddit REALLY wants you to use its app.
From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-05 11:42:03
DarkSword is a sophisticated piece of malware—probably government designed—that targets iOS.
Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has identified a new iOS full-chain exploit that leveraged multiple zero-day vulnerabilities to fully compromise devices. Based on toolmarks in recovered payloads, we believe the exploit chain to be called DarkSword. Since at least November 2025, GTIG has observed multiple commercial surveillance vendors and suspected state-sponsored actors utilizing DarkSword in distinct campaigns. These threat actors have deployed the exploit chain against targets in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia, and Ukraine...
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-05-04 18:57:46
GameStop offers $56 billion for eBay, struggles to explain how it'll pay for it
Amid falling revenue and store closures, GameStop wants to buy the much larger eBay.
From School of War at 2026-05-04 18:08:00
Is Trump Forcing the Strait of Hormuz Open? With Rich Goldberg and Garrett Exner (CBS2227301048.mp3?updated=1777915124)
Rich Goldberg, senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Garrett Exner, adjunct fellow at Hudson Institute, return to School of War to discuss the complicated news out of the Strait of Hormuz. What is President Donald Trump’s new plan, “Project Freedom”? Does it put the ceasefire at risk? What’s really happening in this critical waterway? Times: 02:31 - President’s statement 04:00 - Understanding Project Freedom 07:15 - Attacks against tankers 09:53 - Central Command statement 12:15 - Ceasefire breakdown 16:25 - Coordination cell or escort 18:00 - Trump buying time 20:40 - US Navy escort option 23:06 - Missile defense 24:45 - Economic impacts 27:01 - Iran under pressure 31:50 - Live news US vessel transit 34:15 - Human factor of outbound transit 37:30 - American gas production 39:28 - Predictions in America’s favor Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press.
From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-04 10:46:31
Polymarket is a platform where people can bet on real-world events, political and otherwise. Leaving the ethical considerations of this aside (for one, it facilitates assassination), one of the issues with making this work is the verification of these real-world events. Polymarket gamblers have threatened a journalist because his story was being used to verify an event. And now, gamblers are taking hair dryers to weather sensors to rig weather bets.
There’s also insider trading: a lot of it.
From Odd Lots at 2026-05-04 09:00:00
How Baltimore's Mayor Is Fighting the City's Vacant Housing Crisis (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
Since Mayor Brandon Scott took office in 2020, he's fixated on a very visible problem in Baltimore: the tens of thousands of vacant homes that dot the city. It's hard to build new houses when there are so many that sit empty and unused. And the process of tracking down owners, convincing them to sell their vacant properties, and then converting those homes into usable housing supply is a tall task. In the last few years, the number of vacant homes in Baltimore has dropped from 16,000 to just over 11,800. On this episode — recorded in Madrid while we attended the Bloomberg CityLab conference — we speak to Mayor Scott about deindustrialization, redlining, and gun violence's historical effects on the current housing crisis, how his government identifies, block-by-block, redevelopment opportunities and matches projects with publicly-minded developers, and why Baltimore natives aren't huge fans of The Wire.
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From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-04 06:00:00
Oil, revolution and ayatollahs: how Iran went from great power to rogue state (media.mp3)
Within living memory, Tehran ruled an oil-rich great power brimming with intellectuals inspired by British democracy. So how did it become an impoverished rogue state at war with the West?
In this special Bank Holiday edition, Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history at the University of St Andrews, takes Roland Oliphant through Iran's tumultuous modern era: from the 1906 Constitutional Revolution and the 1953 coup, to the 1979 ousting of the shah and the 2026 US assassination of Ali Khamenei.
From the blunders of the unlikely "midwife" of the modern Iranian state - Great Britain - to the catastrophic decisions of successive Supreme Leaders after the founding of the Islamic Republic, he charts the course that shaped the country Donald Trump is fighting today.
How do the myths overshadow the facts of the CIA's 1953 coup and the Iran-Iraq war? Why is the regime so obsessed with enriching uranium and fighting Israel and America? And is the UK guilty of betraying Iranian dreams of democracy?
Plus, how the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company brought association football to Tehran.
Highlights
- Oil, revolution and ayatollahs: how Iran went from great power to rogue state
- Professor Ali Ansari explains 20th-century Iranian history
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Ali Ansari, professor University of St Andrews @aa51_ansari
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Part 1: ‘Iran thinks it’s still a great power’: Why the regime won’t surrender
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/03/why-the-iranian-regime-wont-surrender-ali-ansari/
Producer: Max Bower
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From The Rest Is History at 2026-05-04 00:05:00
666. Wine and the Birth of Civilisation (GLT1414718476.mp3?updated=1777830333)
What does The Odyssey teach us about the history of wine in the ancient world? How did Julius Caesar use wine to conquer the world? And, why was The Judgement of Paris - when America took on France - the most controversial incident in the history of wine? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss the long history of wine; from ancient Jordan, to Bronze Age Greece, to the Vikings, and beyond… Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com To read our new newsletter, sign up at: therestishistory.com/newsletters _______ Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations. _______ Pre-order your copy of A History of the World in 51 Heroes and Villains now: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/history-of-the-world-in-51-heroes-and-villains-9781037211546/ _______ Advertise with us: Partnerships@goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Balden Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude Senior Producer: Callum Hill Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From The Week in Westminster at 2026-05-02 11:02:00
The appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador dominated Commons proceedings again this week. Isabel discusses where it leaves Sir Keir Starmer's authority with Labour MP Sarah Champion and Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin.
Isabel discusses the Golders Green attack where two Jewish men were stabbed with Labour peer, John Mann who has served as the UK government's Independent Adviser on Antisemitism since 2019.
Earlier this week, a report on the health of the nation was published showing a drop in the number of healthy years that British people can expect live to. Former Conservative health minister Steve Brine and Labour MP, Anna Dixon who used to work in health policy review the findings.
And, with local elections in England, the Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly next week, Isabel brings together Conservative peer and political anaylst Robert Hayward and Sienna Rodgers, the deputy editor of The House Magazine for their predictions.
From Odd Lots at 2026-05-02 09:00:00
Inside the Booming Market for Dinosaur Fossils (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
Two years ago, Citadel's Ken Griffin paid almost $45 million for a stegosaurus skeleton, making it the most expensive fossil ever sold at auction. So why are dinosaur bones joining the collections of millionaires instead of museums? How does the private market for fossils actually work? And how similar is it to the market for art and other antiquities? In this episode, we speak with Salomon Aaron, a director at London-based gallery David Aaron, where he is the gallery's in-house broker for dinosaur fossils. We talk about how fossils are found and priced, what it's like to work alongside dinosaur hunters, how his gallery identifies potential buyers, and why Joe thinks something about the birds-to-dinosaurs evolutionary pipeline is off.
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From More or Less at 2026-05-02 06:00:00
Does it take 15,000 litres of water to produce a kilogram of beef? (p0nhs93w.mp3)
If you spend much time on social media, and we don’t necessarily recommend it, then you’ve probably come across a strange fascination with water consumption.
Mainly, this is people telling you that using AI is terrible for the planet because of how much water it uses. We’ve already made a couple of programmes about the numbers in those arguments and, long story short, they probably aren’t saying what you think they’re saying.
But on platforms like X, BlueSky, and TikTok, an opportunity to keep an argument going is rarely missed And one of the numbers that’s been enlisted in that glorious cause concerns the water that’s used for a seemingly unrelated past-time - eating beef. Here’s an example from a user on X:
“A kilogram of beef requires over 15,000 litres of water to produce,” they wrote. “A vegan who uses ChatGPT every day is living a more sustainable lifestyle than someone who regularly eats beef while boycotting AI.”
Ignoring the AI part, is that true? Does it actually take 15,000 litres of water to produce a kilogram of beef? It turns out that the number isn’t wrong, but it probably isn’t saying what you think it’s saying.
If you’ve seen a number you think we should take a look at, email the More or Less team: moreorless@bbc.co.uk
CONTRIBUTORS: Mesfin Mekonnen, Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama Mark Mulligan, Professor of Physical and Environmental Geography at King's College London Tim Hess, Professor of Water and Food Systems at Cranfield University CREDITS: Presenter: Charlotte McDonald Producer: Mhairi MacKenzie Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Emma Harth Editor: Richard Vadon
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-05-01 20:12:26
Ubuntu infrastructure has been down for more than a day
The outage has hampered communication concerning a critical vulnerability that gives root.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-05-01 17:09:13
US 'could deploy hypersonic missiles' & how Russia is using Iran to fight the West (media.mp3)
Donald Trump faces a critical decision as the Iran war drifts into a stalemate: double down on military force or hope the US blockade will break the deadlock.
Amid a deadline today for Trump to get Congress’ approval for further military operations under the War Powers Act, new reports suggest the Pentagon has requested the deployment of America’s Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles to the Middle East. Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant discuss the latest updates from the region.
Plus, what is Russia’s role in the Iran war? Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’s Iran program, explains how Moscow has supported Tehran and is using it as a “pawn” in the broader fight against the West. He also analyses the significance of the viral Iranian Lego propaganda videos and Mojtaba Khamanei’s latest statement.
Highlights
- US 'could deploy hypersonic missiles' to Middle East
- How Russia is supporting Iran to fight the West
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Behnam Ben Taleblu, Foundation for Defense of Democracies @therealBehnamBT
CONTENT REFERENCED:
US asks to move Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles towards Iran
1,000 targets a day in Iran: How AI is accelerating war
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/01/1000-targets-day-how-ai-accelerating-america-iran-war/
Maven: the AI system helping the US bomb Iran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdHYDGHN5rQ
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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From The Incomparable Mothership at 2026-05-01 17:00:00
815: I Guess I Gotta Kill All These Klan Guys (cc48128c-f0fb-4666-a251-eddddba4fbd2.mp3)
Not now, Klansmen, I’m killing vampires! “Sinners” got nominated for all the awards, and it’s also a vampire (with a hint of zombie?) movie. We love it when genre movies get attention, and Ryan Coogler keeps putting out bangers, so we’re all in on the story of magical music opening the door to eldrich horror—oh, and also it’s the deep south in the 1930s so there’s some horrendous racism too!...
From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2026-05-01 16:33:03
Collections: Raising Carthaginian Armies, Part III: Generals, Warlords and Vassals
This is the third part (I, II) of our series looking at how Carthage’s complex, multipart armies were raised and constituted. Last time, we looked at the backbone of Carthage’s armies: North African troops levied out of Carthage’s subject communities in North Africa. These fellows seem to have been directly employed by the Carthaginian state, … Continue reading Collections: Raising Carthaginian Armies, Part III: Generals, Warlords and Vassals
From Schneier on Security at 2026-05-01 12:18:43
A Ransomware Negotiator Was Working for a Ransomware Gang
Someone pleaded guilty to secretly working for a ransomware gang as he negotiated ransomware payments for clients.
From School of War at 2026-05-01 10:00:00
NORAD and Protecting America From Nuclear Attack, With Lance Blythe (CBS1778167124.mp3?updated=1777616012)
Lance R. Blyth, command historian of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), joins School of War to discuss the evolution of North America’s air defense. How has NORAD adapted to shifting threats over the decades? Are today’s threats manageable? Are we in a new Cold War? And what can the command, with operations deep inside a Colorado mountain, teach us about defending the continent in an era of renewed great-power competition? Times: 02:04 History of NORAD 07:02 Threats of the 1950s 13:50 Sensors, effectors, and connectors 15:15 Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) 19:45 SABRE travel system 21:14 Aerospace missile warning systems 22:07 Cheyenne Mountain Complex 24:13 NORAD in films 27:56 False missile launches 31:31 Adapting to new threats 34:23 New joint surveillance system 35:19 Importance of Canada 36:21 September 11 40:21 Operation Noble Eagle 43:00 Today’s threats Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press.
From Breaking History at 2026-05-01 10:00:00
Eli Lake and David Rose: The UK Censorship Machine Eats Itself (CBS6252807844.mp3?updated=1777601407)
David Rose is the director of policy and research at the Free Speech Union (FSU), a UK-based nonpartisan organization that campaigns for freedom of speech. The FSU will publish a new report examining allegations tied to Labour Together, the political network linked to Keir Starmer. David joins Eli Lake to explain how his investigation describes a murky ecosystem involving claims of journalists labeled as Russian assets, the circulation of private intelligence-style dossiers, and the growing overlap between political advocacy and “disinformation” or “digital hate” laws in the UK. Our special episode on the UK being a “censor’s paradise” is here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From Odd Lots at 2026-05-01 09:00:00
How Taiwan Became the World's Most Perilous Geopolitical Chokepoint (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted the potential for long-running theoretical chokepoints to turn into reality, with dramatic results for both geopolitics and the global economy. But the hypothetical scenario that policymakers have arguably been losing the most sleep over for decades is the prospect of a major conflict between China and Taiwan. So how likely is it, and what would such a conflict actually look like? On this episode, we speak with Eyck Freymann, author of the new book, Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War With China, and a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. We discuss Xi Jinping's strategy, whether Taiwan's "silicon shield" of semiconductor manufacturing can last forever, the state of Taiwan's domestic politics, and what the US can do to deter such a conflict.
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From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-04-30 21:20:48
The most severe Linux threat to surface in years catches the world flat-footed
CopyFail threatens multi-tenant servers, CI/CD work flows, Kubernetes containers, and more.
From GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics at 2026-04-30 19:36:00
GoodFellows LIVE: The US Constitution and A Republic - If You Can Keep It | Hoover Institution (GoodFellows_2026-04-22_-_Live_v2_podcast_6hafa.mp3)
As part of the Hoover Institution’s ongoing USA@250 celebration of the founding of the American republic, a live GoodFellows episode recorded on the campus of Stanford University focusing on the US Constitution – in tech terms, America’s “operating system”. Goodfellows regulars Sir Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster discuss the root causes of the American Revolution (taxation without representation, though the Scottish-born panelist contends the colonists in fact had a “fantastic deal”), the Constitution’s underlying principles (recognizing but not granting rights), why a document that’s more “machinery” than “visionary” in its design has stood the test of time, plus whether several provisions within the original framework and its 27 amendments (presidential eligibility, gun rights, “birthright citizenship”) need updating a world the Founding Fathers couldn’t imagine. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-04-30 16:59:11
Iranian terror in London & why the US needs China to rearm (media.mp3)
The UK is in shock after an Iran-linked Islamist group claimed yet another attack on Jews in London.
In the wake of the Golders Green stabbing attack, national security editor Rozina Sabur looks at what we know about the shadowy online group known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) and its links to the Iranian regime.
Plus, as Donald Trump weighs whether to take further military action against Iran or in the Strait of Hormuz, Samuel Olsen, chief analyst at risk and intelligence firm Sibylline, explains that the conflict has further indebted the US to China. Why? Beijing’s near-total dominance of the supply chain of rare earths and critical minerals, which every bit of modern military kit requires. Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping is likely to centre on this issue - as well as Taiwan.
Elsewhere, Venetia Rainey and Sophia Yan analyse what we learned from Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s first under-oath testimony on the war and why the ceasefire seems to be holding everywhere apart from Iraq.
Highlights
- Why the US cannot rearm post-Iran war without China
- Rozina Sabur on the Iran-linked group claiming to be behind the Golders Green attack
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan
Samuel Olsen, chief analyst Sibylline @samolsenx
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Project Vault: Trump’s battle to break China’s critical mineral stranglehold
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/09/project-vault-trumps-battle-to-break-chinas-mineral-strangl/
China just proved it can cripple the US military in days. Now Trump is furious
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/20/china-just-proved-it-can-cripple-the-us-military-in-days-no/
The Iranian sleeper cell bringing terror to Europe
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/23/iranian-sleeper-cell-islamic-movement-companions-synagogue/
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From The Briefing Room at 2026-04-30 12:45:00
Can Europe build digital sovereignty? (p0nhhj19.mp3)
Ask Claude a question, Google a query, order from Amazon, chat with mates on WhatsApp, tune in to Youtube. And where ever you do it from, you’ll never be somehow not in America. Because Britain, like Europe is dependent on US tech and as the AI revolution unfolds, governments are increasingly worried about it.
The new buzz phrase is digital sovereignty. But what does that mean? Is it even feasible? And can the UK and the Europe take back control?
David Aaronovitch talks to:
Stanley Pignal, Europe editor at The Economist Cecilia Rikap, Associate Professor in Economics and Head of Research at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose Seb Johnson, founder of Scaling Europe, a media company focused on European Tech
Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon
From Schneier on Security at 2026-04-30 11:22:02
Researchers have reverse-engineered a piece of malware named Fast16. It’s almost certainly state-sponsored, probably US in origin, and was deployed against Iran years before Stuxnet:
“…the Fast16 malware was designed to carry out the most subtle form of sabotage ever seen in an in-the-wild malware tool: By automatically spreading across networks and then silently manipulating computation processes in certain software applications that perform high-precision mathematical calculations and simulate physical phenomena, Fast16 can alter the results of those programs to cause failures that range from faulty research results to catastrophic damage to real-world equipment.”...
From Odd Lots at 2026-04-30 09:00:00
BlackRock's Rob Goldstein on the Next Megatrends in Finance (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
The last few decades have been marked by a number of megatrends in finance including the extraordinary growth of asset managers, the rising importance of technology, and the ascent of private markets. BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, is emblematic of all these developments. On this episode, we talk to BlackRock COO Rob Goldstein about the company's early technological history, the development of its famous risk management technology Aladdin, and how BlackRock is navigating being both a user and major provider of AI. We discuss his view of the 'SaaSpocalypse,' how BlackRock is thinking about token consumption and compute constraint, as well as the future of private markets.
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From Strong Message Here at 2026-04-30 07:00:00
Game On (with Natalie Haynes) (p0nhbgs3.mp3)
Ready Player One?
Natalie Haynes joins Armando once again to talk about the rise of prediction markets, and how they might affect political language. We also look at the respective war memes from the US and Iran, and how they are taking their cues from video games.
Elsewhere, we discuss the Arc de Trump, Armando's bag of filth, and whether a Sphinx might look good on the White House lawn.
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk
Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coordinator: Giulia Mazzu Executive Producer: James Robinson Recorded at the Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
From The Rest Is History at 2026-04-30 00:05:00
665. Britain in the 70s: The Bailout from Hell (Part 4) (GLT9598017819.mp3?updated=1777473193)
How did the new British Prime Minister, Jim Callaghan, intend to keep Britain from bankruptcy in 1976? What extreme new step might have seen riots in the streets? And, would labour survive the greatest financial scandal in British history? Join Tom and Dominic as they reach the epic conclusion of their dramatic series on the most uproarious years of the 1970s in Britain, including the high point of the crisis, and the rise of punk. You’ve heard the story…now see it. Unlock the full History in Photos series at http://therestishistory.com _______ Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com To read our new newsletter, sign up at: therestishistory.com/newsletters Advertise with us: Partnerships@goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Balden Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude Senior Producer: Callum Hill Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From The Media Show at 2026-04-29 17:47:00
King Charles's US visit, attacks on journalists, I'm a Celeb editing row (p0nhbfy3.mp3)
Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall on some of the week’s biggest media stories:
As King Charles III visits the United States, we ask how the media is covering the event on both sides of the Atlantic. We also examine attacks on journalists around the world following the killing of a Lebanese reporter in an Israeli air strike. A row over I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! raises questions about how reality television is edited. Plus, as a new series of Virgin Island begins on Channel 4, we speak to one of the people behind the format.
Guests: Sean Coughlan, Royal Correspondent, BBC News; Jack Blanchard, managing editor, POLITICO; Christina Lamb, chief foreign correspondent, The Sunday Times; Lauren Morris, Culture News Editor, The Independent; Donald Clarke, edit producer in reality television; Rob Davis, executive producer and co-owner of Double Act.
Producer: Dan Hardoon
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-04-29 17:16:17
I went to the Strait of Hormuz. This is why Trump can’t defeat Iran’s mosquito fleet (media.mp3)
From the Strait of Hormuz to Lebanon, the Iran war has seen the West’s foes adopt asymmetric warfare with growing efficacy.
Fresh off the boat from the Omani side of the Strait, Adrian Blomfield joins Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant. He explains how being out on the busy, misty and historic waterway helped him to understand why it is almost impossible for the US to counter Iran’s so-called “mosquito” fleet of fast boats.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin discusses the growing threat posed by Hezbollah as it adopts Ukrainian drone tactics to fight Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. He talks through a particularly worrying video showing the terror group flying a fibre-optic first-person view (FPV) drone at a medivac helicopter.
Plus, Venetia and Roland run through the latest updates from today, including Donald Trump’s new threat to Iran and bad signs from the Iranian economy.
Highlights:
- Adrian Blomfield on his trip to the Strait of Hormuz
- Henry Bodkin on the growing threat posed by Hezbollah as it adopts Ukrainian drone tactics
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Adrian Blomfield, senior foreign correspondent @adrianblomfield
Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Hezbollah attacks Israeli military helicopter with fibre optic drones
Adrian Blomfield: Here in the Strait, Iran’s mosquito fleet renders Trump blockade futile
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-04-29 12:00:24
Why a recent supply-chain attack singled out security firms Checkmarx and Bitwarden
Security firms find themselves especially exposed.
From Schneier on Security at 2026-04-29 11:12:17
Claude Mythos Has Found 271 Zero-Days in Firefox
That’s a lot. No, it’s an extraordinary number:
Since February, the Firefox team has been working around the clock using frontier AI models to find and fix latent security vulnerabilities in the browser. We wrote previously about our collaboration with Anthropic to scan Firefox with Opus 4.6, which led to fixes for 22 security-sensitive bugs in Firefox 148.
As part of our continued collaboration with Anthropic, we had the opportunity to apply an early version of Claude Mythos Preview to Firefox. This week’s release of Firefox 150 includes fixes for 271 vulnerabilities identified during this initial evaluation...
From Release notes from govuk-frontend at 2026-04-29 11:04:56
<h2>New features</h2> <h3>Use <code>@use</code> to include GOV.UK Frontend styles in Sass</h3> <p>The <a href="https://sass-lang.com/blog/import-is-deprecated/" rel="nofollow">use of <code>@import</code> was deprecated</a> in Dart Sass 1.80.0. To prepare for the removal of <code>@import</code> in the next major release of Sass, you can now include GOV.UK Frontend as a Sass module with <a href="https://sass-lang.com/documentation/at-rules/use/" rel="nofollow"><code>@use</code></a> or <a href="https://sass-lang.com/documentation/at-rules/forward/" rel="nofollow"><code>@forward</code></a>.</p> <p>We also plan to deprecate support for <code>@import</code> in GOV.UK Frontend in a future 6.x release and remove it completely in our next major release, v.7.0, so we recommend you start using Sass modules as soon as possible.</p> <p>To include all the styles from GOV.UK Frontend in your compiled stylesheet, replace <code>@import</code> with <code>@use</code> in your Sass file:</p> <div class="highlight highlight-source-css-scss notranslate position-relative overflow-auto"><pre><span class="pl-c"><span class="pl-c">//</span> Previously</span> <span class="pl-k">@import</span> <span class="pl-s"><span class="pl-pds">"</span>node_modules/govuk-frontend/dist/govuk<span class="pl-pds">"</span></span>; <span class="pl-c"><span class="pl-c">//</span> Now</span> <span class="pl-c"><span class="pl-c">//</span> Outputs GOV.UK Frontend's CSS (`@use`) and</span> <span class="pl-c"><span class="pl-c">//</span> makes the Sass API available without namespacing (`as *`)</span> <span class="pl-k">@use</span> <span class="pl-s"><span class="pl-pds">"</span>node_modules/govuk-frontend/dist/govuk<span class="pl-pds">"</span></span> <span class="pl-k">as</span> <span class="pl-c1">*</span>;</pre></div> <p>To configure any of GOV.UK Frontend's settings when including it in your Sass file, you should now use a <a href="https://sass-lang.com/documentation/at-rules/use/#configuration" rel="nofollow"><code>with</code> clause</a> listing each setting you want to modify to your <code>@use</code> rule:</p> <div class="highlight highlight-source-css-scss notranslate position-relative overflow-auto"><pre><span class="pl-c"><span class="pl-c">//</span> Previously</span> <span class="pl-v">$govuk-assets-path</span>: <span class="pl-s"><span class="pl-pds">"</span>/path/to/assets/<span class="pl-pds">"</span></span>; <span class="pl-k">@import</span> <span class="pl-s"><span class="pl-pds">"</span>node_modules/govuk-frontend/dist/govuk<span class="pl-pds">"</span></span>; <span class="pl-c"><span class="pl-c">//</span> Now</span> <span class="pl-k">@use</span> <span class="pl-s"><span class="pl-pds">"</span>pkg:gov-uk frontend<span class="pl-pds">"</span></span> <span class="pl-k">as</span> <span class="pl-c1">*</span> <span class="pl-k">with</span> ( <span class="pl-v">$govuk-assets-path</span>: <span class="pl-s"><span class="pl-pds">"</span>/path/to/assets/<span class="pl-pds">"</span></span> )</pre></div> <p>You can also <a href="https://deploy-preview-615--govuk-frontend-docs-preview.netlify.app/include-css/include-specific-parts-of-gov-uk-frontend-using-sass" rel="nofollow">include specific parts of GOV.UK Frontend using Sass</a>.</p> <p>See the GOV.UK Frontend documentation for more information on <a href="https://deploy-preview-615--govuk-frontend-docs-preview.netlify.app/include-css/" rel="nofollow">including GOV.UK Frontend</a> in your Sass build.</p> <p>We made this change in <a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6862">pull request #6862: Migration to Sass modules</a>.</p> <h3>Use shorter <code>pkg:</code> URLs to include individual files in Sass</h3> <p>You can now omit the <code>dist/govuk</code> part of the path when including GOV.UK Frontend in your Sass file with a <a href="https://sass-lang.com/blog/announcing-pkg-importers/" rel="nofollow"><code>pkg:</code> URL</a>:</p> <div class="highlight highlight-source-css-scss notranslate position-relative overflow-auto"><pre><span class="pl-c"><span class="pl-c">//</span> `@import` will soon be deprecated, so use`@use`</span> <span class="pl-c"><span class="pl-c">//</span> Instead of `"pkg:govuk-frontend/dist/govuk/components/button"`</span> <span class="pl-k">@use</span> <span class="pl-s"><span class="pl-pds">"</span>pkg:govuk-frontend/components/button<span class="pl-pds">"</span></span>;</pre></div> <p>We made this change in <a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6861">pull request #6861: Resolve <code>pkg:</code> URLs from <code>dist/govuk</code> and update the review app</a>.</p> <h2>Fixes</h2> <h3>Error summary no longer outputs the styles for lists</h3> <p>The <code>components/error-summary/_index.scss</code> file was outputting CSS from <code>core/lists</code>, which is not part of the <code>components</code> layer. This was causing a duplication issue with Sass modules.</p> <p>The <code>components/error-summary/_index.scss</code> file now only outputs the CSS for the Error summary component.</p> <p>We made this change in <a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6975">pull request #6975: Update index to use all layers and refactor core (again) to avoid duplicated CSS</a>.</p> <h3>Other fixes</h3> <p>We've made fixes to GOV.UK Frontend in the following pull requests:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6831">#6831: Fix header link hover state in Safari</a></li> </ul>
From The Django weblog at 2026-04-28 20:20:45
Renew Your PyCharm License and Support Django
Only a few days remain to support the Django Software Foundation through our annual JetBrains fundraiser.
You can now use the offer for new purchases and annual renewals. If your PyCharm Professional subscription expires this year, this is a great time to renew or extend it for up to 12 months.
Get 30% off PyCharm Professional, and 100% of proceeds from qualifying purchases and renewals go to the DSF to help fund Django Fellows, community programs, events, and the future of Django.
👉 Offer ends May 1: Learn more about the fundraiser
👉 Claim 30% off here: Get the JetBrains offer
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-04-28 17:49:46
‘A bunch of losers with no power’: Why Iran’s hardliners won’t win (media.mp3)
Iran’s regime is facing an existential crisis prompted by the US-Israeli war.
Despite taking a military battering and the economy being in ruins, Tehran refuses to surrender. Historian Arash Azizi takes Roland Oliphant and Sophia Yan inside the clash between the regime establishment and the ultra-hardliners who fear their vision of the Islamic Republic will not survive peace.
He explains why the country’s powerful, IRGC-linked chief negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf is increasingly being attacked in Iranian media and the dilemma facing the Islamic Republic as it looks to make a deal without surrendering the anti-American dogmatism that revolutionaries hold so dear.
Plus, as Donald Trump rejects Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before settling the nuclear question, senior foreign correspondent Adrian Blomfeld reports from out on the Strait itself.
Sophia and Roland also discuss the latest news from the region, including the UAE pulling out of OPEC.
Highlights
- Arash Azizi on why Iran’s hardliners are a “bunch of losers with no power”
- How the Iranian regime is facing a choice between reform and destruction
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host @rolandoliphant
Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophiacyan
Arash Azizi, author and historian Yale University @arash_tehran
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Adrian Blomfield: Here in the Strait, Iran’s mosquito fleet renders Trump blockade futile
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/strait-of-hormuz-irans-mosquito-fleet-winning-blockade/
Robert White, Iona Cleave: Trump ‘unlikely to accept’ Iran’s Hormuz deal https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/28/iran-war-live-trump-peace-talks-hormuz-strikes-lebanon/
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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From Schneier on Security at 2026-04-28 12:06:44
What Anthropic’s Mythos Means for the Future of Cybersecurity
Two weeks ago, Anthropic announced that its new model, Claude Mythos Preview, can autonomously find and weaponize software vulnerabilities, turning them into working exploits without expert guidance. These were vulnerabilities in key software like operating systems and internet infrastructure that thousands of software developers working on those systems failed to find. This capability will have major security implications, compromising the devices and services we use every day. As a result, Anthropic is not releasing the model to the general public, but instead to a ...
From School of War at 2026-04-27 23:06:00
The Attempt on Trump’s Life and Political Violence in America, with Douglas Murray (CBS3338209394.mp3?updated=1777328291)
Douglas Murray, journalist and author of On Democracies and Death Cults, joins School of War to discuss the assassination attempt that we both witnessed in person at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday. Was there a lapse in appropriate security? Is political violence being normalized? Can it be contained? Times: 02:44 - White House Correspondents Dinner 04:38 - Shots fired 06:51 - Security at the dinner 09:58 - Bobby Kennedy and Erika Kirk 16:25 - Secret Service valor 17:25 - Israeli security style 19:42 - Trump’s ballroom 21:35 - The shooter’s manifesto 27:26 - Past American political violence 29:13 - Assassinations can change history 31:09 - Hitler comparison 34:47 - Civic hygiene 36:49 - Justifying violence on NYT podcast 40:22 - Echoes of the Russian Revolution 47:05 - Failure of the education system 54:23 - The melding of the president and media Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press.
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-04-27 22:04:03
Open source package with 1 million monthly downloads stole user credentials
If you're one of millions using element-data, it's time to check for compromise.
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-04-27 17:42:18
The true cost of America’s hidden missile crisis & why US-Iran talks are deadlocked (media.mp3)
The US has severely depleted key munitions in the Iran war - and it’s already having global consequences.
From delayed deliveries to allies such as Japan, South Korea and Ukraine, to a knockon impact on any future wars - such as a potential conflict with China over Taiwan - new analysis of America’s strategic stockpiles do not make for comfortable reading. Venetia Rainey talks to Mark Cancian and Chris Park from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) about what’s running low, why and what impact it will have.
Plus, will Donald Trump strike a deal with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz instead of prioritising a nuclear agreement?
That’s what Tehran is reportedly proposing today, but as veteran US diplomat David Satterfield explains, that comes with its own problems. With Iran playing the long-game in an asymmetric war, the former ambassador says Trump does not have many good options available.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
David Satterfield, former US diplomat and director of Baker Institute for Public Policy
Mark Cancian, senior fellow CSIS @MarkCancian
Chris Park, research associate CSIS @chrhspark
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefire
https://www.csis.org/analysis/last-rounds-status-key-munitions-iran-war-ceasefire
Producer: Elliot Lampitt
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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From The Django weblog at 2026-04-27 14:00:00
It's time to redesign djangoproject.com
If you've felt like djangoproject.com could use a refresh, you're not alone. The site has served the community well for a long time, it’s beloved by a lot of people but doesn’t reflect where Django is today or who we want to reach. We've been working on a redesign behind the scenes, and we want to share where we're headed and how you can get involved.
Why a redesign
The case has been building for a while. The excellent user research report from 20tab documented in detail what current site users struggle with, and the more recent community discussion on homepage redesigns on the forum focuses on the image issue.
In her recent talk Debunking Django Myths, Sarah Boyce, one of our Django Fellows who helps maintain the project, walked through the gap between how Django is perceived and what it actually offers in 2026. Our website is one of the places where the gap is widest, and we need to close it.
It’s harder than it looks on the surface, as it’s essential the site serves both as a showcase of the value of Django for newcomers; and as a central information space for our users; and as an online and in-person community hub; and a fundraising and sustainability tool for our Django Software Foundation.
How we're approaching this
We're planning the work in three phases.
Discovery and groundwork. This is where we’re at right now. Before anything gets designed, we need clarity on what the site should communicate: Django's value, who we're speaking to, and what success looks like. That means a marketing strategy (at least bigger-picture). Possibly additional user research focused on new users. Definitely site analytics so we know how different aspects of the site are working. And a redesign brief we can share with UX and visual design experts. We also need to be building up capacity in UX, Information Architecture (IA), and marketing, since those areas of expertise are essential for the success of the website but not well represented in our working groups.
Design. From there we'll move into IA, mockups, and low-fidelity prototypes. We expect this visual work will be component-driven, producing a small design system and pattern library that can support a section-by-section rollout rather than a big-bang launch. The homepage is the most visible surface and a natural focus, but it might be easier for our volunteers to first look at more specific sections (docs, donation flows, community) before tackling the more complex multi-purpose areas.
Build. For that, we want to work with our existing volunteer contributors as much as possible, so implementation will be incremental against mockups that reflect the long-term goal. This keeps the site working and evolving while we make progress on the design.
Who's doing the work
We hope to do most of this with existing volunteers. The Website working group, the Accessibility team, and the Social Media working group. Working with paid contractors for specific tasks if Django Software Foundation finances allow. A project this size really needs both: the continuity of volunteers who know Django and our community and Foundation, and focused professional time for the pieces that need it.
Where you come in
If you have relevant experience in any of the following, we'd genuinely love to hear from you:
- UX and interaction design
- User research
- Visual design
- Information Architecture, content strategy, or copywriting
- Marketing
Check out the Django forum thread we’re using for ongoing updates, come say hi in DMs, or chime in on the tracking issue for this work. Our Discord server is a good place to reach out too.
And separately - a good redesign will cost real money. We'd like some of this work to be handled by paid contractors where it makes sense, and that depends on what the Foundation can afford. If you're in a position to support the DSF financially, it directly helps us make that possible. Thanks for caring about this! Let's make djangoproject.com as good as the framework and community it represents.
From Schneier on Security at 2026-04-27 12:04:41
Medieval Encrypted Letter Decoded
Sent by a Spanish diplomat. Apparently people have been working on it since it was rediscovered in 1860.
From Odd Lots at 2026-04-27 09:00:00
What's Actually Going On With Private Credit (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
The private credit market has grown enormously fast in recent years — so much so that by some estimates it's now bigger than the market for junk-rated corporate bonds. So what's driven all that growth? What impact has private credit had on other types of corporate debt? And why are there so many concerns around the space right now? In this episode, we speak with John Sheehan and Craig Manchuck, two veteran portfolio managers for the strategic income fund at Osterweis Capital Management. We talk about the history of private credit before and after 2008, private credit's links with private equity and insurance, the prospect of higher defaults, and what to watch for right now.
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From The Rest Is History at 2026-04-27 00:05:00
664. Britain in the 70s: Scandal in Downing Street (Part 3) (GLT9115516865.mp3?updated=1777029534)
With Britain heading towards financial meltdown and paranoia in the air, could its exhausted Prime Minister, Harold Wilson survive? Why were bombs going off in London every few days in the winter of 1975? And, with inflation reaching unprecedented heights, would the government finally act? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss one of the greatest crisis points in modern British history. _______ Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com To read our new newsletter, sign up at: therestishistory.com/newsletters Advertise with us: Partnerships@goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Balden Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude Senior Producer: Callum Hill Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From Odd Lots at 2026-04-26 13:00:00
Presenting Foundering Season 6: The Killing of Bob Lee, Part 1 (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
The Killing of Bob Lee, Part 1: San Francisco Has Blood On Its Hands
Three years ago, Bob Lee, a tech executive famous for creating Cash App, was found stabbed in San Francisco. His killing set off a wave of online fury. Reporter Shawn Wen takes us back to the turbulent days before his killer was arrested, when misinformation and rumors ran rampant. Several tech industry leaders decried violent crime in San Francisco, including David Sacks, who “bet dollars to dimes” that Lee was stabbed by “a psychotic homeless person,” and Elon Musk, who called the city “horrific.”
Listen to the series HERE.
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From The Week in Westminster at 2026-04-25 11:02:00
George Parker analyses the latest developments at Westminster.
To discuss the ongoing row over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador, and what it means for the Prime Minister's authority, George is joined by Labour MP, Preet Gill, and former Conservative Attorney General, Dominic Grieve.
This week the Assisted Dying Bill was finally laid to rest after it ran out of time in the House of Lords. To discuss whether the legislative campaign is over George speaks to one of the Bill's supporters, Green MP Ellie Chowns, and Ruth Fox, director of the Hansard Society.
The Commons and Lords were engaged in some parliamentary ping pong this week on the issue of banning social media for under 16s. Former Conservative Schools Minister, Lord Nash, debates with Labour MP, Helen Hayes, chair of the Education Select Committee.
And, as the Government announces that its new complaints system for upholding free speech in universities will come in to force later this year, George brings together former Conservative Cabinet minister, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Professor Alison Scott-Baumann of SOAS University of London.
From Odd Lots at 2026-04-25 09:00:00
Understanding the Most Viral Chart in Artificial Intelligence (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
We live in an era of charts that are going up and to the right. This image obviously describes the stock market, particularly any company whose business is adjacent to artificial intelligence. But beyond stocks, another sort of chart we keep seeing is of AI capabilities also going up and to the right. The most famous and viral of these comes from an organization called METR, which stands for Model Evaluation and Threat Research. The organization is focused on understanding the degree to which AI models can engage in autonomous, complex tasks. METR see this is as a particularly important benchmark, given the risk that AI could one day be engaged in recursive self improvement, taking humans out of the loop. But how do you really gauge a model's ability to do complex problems. And what is being measured for exactly? On this episode, we speak with METR's President Chris Painter as well as Joel Becker, a member of the technical staff who works on evaluation methods for the organization. We discuss both the mechanics and the philosophy of METR's work, and what it means when we see a a chart showing that Clause Opus 4.6 can do a task that would take a human nearly 12 hours.
Read more:
DeepSeek Unveils Flagship AI Model a Year After Breakthrough
Meta Inks Deal to Use Amazon’s Graviton Processors for AI
Only http://Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots
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From More or Less at 2026-04-25 06:00:00
Have RFK and MAHA really changed American views on vaccines? (p0ngcsj1.mp3)
Vaccine policy in the US is something of an ideological battleground.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is a vaccine sceptic, and since taking office he has attempted to remake US vaccine policy.
In March a judge blocked his proposal to cut the number of jabs that are recommended for kids.
At the same time, last year saw the worst measles outbreak in the US in decades. There were more than 2000 cases last year, and three people died. There have been more than 1500 cases so far in 2026.
There’s a lot going on, so it’s possible the public’s views on vaccination are shifting.
A new poll published by online news site Politico added a big claim into the mix. According to the headline “more Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it”.
But is that what the survey actually found?
Dr David Higgins, a paediatrician and public health assistant professor who writes a Substack called Community Immunity, explains why he believes the headline is misleading.
If you've seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Charlotte McDonald Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon
From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2026-04-25 02:06:17
Collections: Raising Carthaginian Armies, Part II: The African Backbone
This is the second part (I) of our series looking at the structure of the Carthaginian army. As we discussed last time, while Carthage has an unfair reputation for being an ‘un-military’ society, its military system was one of the highest performing in the ancient Mediterranean, able to produce vast and effective armies waging war … Continue reading Collections: Raising Carthaginian Armies, Part II: The African Backbone
From Schneier on Security at 2026-04-24 22:03:23
Friday Squid Blogging: How Squid Survived Extinction Events
Science news:
Scientists have finally cracked a long-standing mystery about squid and cuttlefish evolution by analyzing newly sequenced genomes alongside global datasets. The research reveals that these bizarre, intelligent creatures likely originated deep in the ocean over 100 million years ago, surviving mass extinction events by retreating into oxygen-rich deep-sea refuges. For millions of years, their evolution barely changed—until a dramatic post-extinction boom sparked rapid diversification as they moved into new shallow-water habitats. ...
From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-04-24 20:00:39
Why are top university websites serving porn? It comes down to shoddy housekeeping.
Hundreds of subdomains from dozens of universities have been hijacked by scammers.
From The Incomparable Mothership at 2026-04-24 17:00:00
814: Demons are People Too (10a74db5-9044-4124-aed6-2a462a0c7d1c.mp3)
A special Book Club panel provides an overview of Lois McMaster Bujold’s excellent Penric & Desdemona series of fantasy novellas (plus one novel). This series gives its characters time to learn, grow, and age. It’s got some perspectives you don’t see very often in fantasy fiction. We love it and think you will, too....
From Iran: The Latest at 2026-04-24 16:41:00
‘Trump is wrong - Iran’s regime is not split over this war’ (media.mp3)
The US-Iran ceasefire has limped into its third week, but can stuttering peace talks deliver a deal before war resumes?
Roland Oliphant is joined by Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, to discuss the latest news and updates, including what Mojtaba Khamanei’s reported injuries tell us about the balance of power in Tehran.
She also explains why the normally factional Iranian regime is united in its need to end the war, and how Donald Trump’s attempt to drive a wedge between “moderates” and “hardliners” is likely to fail.
Plus, international economics editor Hans van Leeuwen explains why the world has been watching the wrong oil price - and how the global impact of the war could be worse than we thought.
Highlights
- Why time is not on Trump’s side in the Iran war
- Mojtaba Khamenei’s injuries and what they say about the Iranian regime
CONTRIBUTORS:
Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant
Hans van Leeuwen, International economics editor @hansvan333
Sanam Vakil, MENA programme director Chatham House @SanamVakil
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Hans van Leeuwen: The world is watching the wrong oil price
Producer: Elliot Lampitt
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk
► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/
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From Schneier on Security at 2026-04-24 12:01:03
Hiding Bluetooth Trackers in Mail
It was used to track a Dutch naval ship:
Dutch journalist Just Vervaart, working for regional media network Omroep Gelderland, followed the directions posted on the Dutch government website and mailed a postcard with a hidden tracker inside. Because of this, they were able to track the ship for about a day, watching it sail from Heraklion, Crete, before it turned towards Cyprus. While it only showed the location of that one vessel, knowing that it was part of a carrier strike group sailing in the Mediterranean could potentially put the entire fleet at risk...
From Emperors of Rome at 2026-04-24 10:49:36
Augusti Retirement (260424-diocletian07.mp3)
In 305 CE, a carefully staged transition took place: the emperors Diocletian and Maximian retired, handing power to a new generation of rulers. Exactly how it happened is still debated, but the act itself was unprecedented in the long history of the Roman Empire.
Support Emperors of Rome on Patreon: patreon.com/romepodcast
Episode CCLV (255)
Part VII of Diocletian
Guest: Professor Caillan Davenport (Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University)
From School of War at 2026-04-24 10:00:00
How the British Army Learned to Win, with Huw Davies (CBS7201098299.mp3)
Huw Davies, an associate dean and professor of British military history at King’s College London and author of several books, including The Wandering Army, joins School of War to discuss what the 18th-century British Army can teach us about modern warfare. How does battlefield failure drive military innovation? How did institutions of the past respond to change? And in an era of drones, autonomy, and AI, have we learned from the past, or are we destined to repeat it? Times: 02:40 18th century military enlightenment 06:30 War of the Austrian Succession 12:43 The British officer class 18:39 Tension between ancients and moderns 20:20 Discovering Sir Henry Clinton’s notebook 20:48 False caricature of the British Army 27:02 Challenges of North American warfare 29:32 Battle of the Monongahela 35:09 Importance of light infantry 38:17 Rifle evolution 39:00 Why armies resist change 43:40 Lessons for today 46:42 Human behavior in war 47:10 Learning curve of war technologies 49:11 Is Ukrainian drone warfare a turning point? Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press.
From Odd Lots at 2026-04-24 09:00:00
James Bosworth on the "Orange Wave" Happening Across Latin America (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)
We're living in an extraordinary moment for Latin American politics. From the ousting of Maduro to the ongoing oil blockade of Cuba to Javier Milei revving up a chainsaw at CPAC. Various leaders in different countries are taking different approaches to their relationship with the US. Each is aware that there is a high value in being close to Trump, but also each know that Trump won't be the US President forever. So how should we understand the different approaches being taken? Today we talk to James Bosworth, who is the the founder of Hxagon, a company that does political risk analysis and research primarily in Latin America. He is also the author the Latin America Risk Report newsletter. Our conversation with Bos covered what he calls the "orange shift," a region-wide realignment towards dealmaking with the Trump administration. We discuss how Latin American leaders are dealing with inflation, why Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum and El Salvador's Nayib Bukele are so popular, how Brazil's Lula has surprised economic observers, and whether Trump will be able to find a "Delcy" elsewhere in the region.
Read more:
Brazil Oil Driller Expanding in Venezuela as US Eases Sanctions
Mexico Inflation Slows Slightly, Keeping Another Rate Cut in Play
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From Iran: The Latest at 2026-04-23 17:20:33
How Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz - from sea-mines to suicide boats (media.mp3)
What will it take to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iran’s sea mines and fast boats?
With Tehran now charging extortionate tolls, attacking commercial ships who do not get permission to transit and reportedly laying around 20 sea mines, the vital waterway has become a living nightmare. President Donald Trump today told the US Navy to fire on any boats laying mines, but with Pentagon estimates that it will take six months to mine-sweep the Strait, is that enough?
To discuss the problem, Venetia Rainey is joined by Emma Salisbury, an Associate Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. Emma explains how American minesweeping capabilities became so heavily degraded, why Iran’s non-conventional navy remains so effective and hard to destroy, and the maritime signs that Trump may be considering a return to all-out war.
Plus, senior foreign correspondent Sophia Yan talks through the latest news and updates from the region, including the status of the US-Iran ceasefire, reports that America is running out of munitions, and the Lebanon-Israel peace talks to disarm Hezbollah.
Highlights:
- Why it would take the US six months to minesweep the Strait of Hormuz - in peacetime
- Sophia Yan on how the Iran war became a game of chicken
CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host @venetiarainey
Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan
Emma Salisbury, associate fellow Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre @salisbot
CONTENT REFERENCED:
The Mine Gap: America Forgot How to Sweep the Sea
Iranian shadow fleet tankers break through US blockade
Trump has eight days to make up his mind on Iran
Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefire
Producer: Peter Shevlin
Executive Producers: Venetia Rainey & Louisa Wells
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