US Govt Says FBI Disrupted Russian Malware Network
The US Dept. of Justice said on Tuesday that — together with the FBI, the NSA, and partner intelligence agencies from abroad — it executed a court-approved operation to disable a "premier" Russian spying tool that allegedly infected computers in at least 50 countries and resulted in the theft of sensitive documents belonging both to governments and other entities.
The FBI’s technical experts identified the malware used by Russia’s FSB security service, reportedly dubbed “Snake.” The infamous hacking group known as “Turla” — made up of FSB spies — is reportedly being tracked by the private sector.
The FBI’s operation “MEDUSA” sought to disrupt the Russian network, and it used the recently developed “PERSEUS” tool to successfully neutralize the Snake after a Brooklyn judge granted authorization to secure remote access to infected computers.
Anti-Russia narrative
The US government has been able to deal a brutal blow to one of Russia’s most prominent and sophisticated malware networks that have terrorized computer systems for nearly 20 years. Russia relies heavily on cyber attacks and espionage to steal sensitive information from the US and its allies in NATO, with the Snake having been one of the FSB’s most powerful tools. Today’s advisory now neutralizes the Russian malware and puts an end to some of Russia’s key dirty tricks.
Pro-Russia narrative
The greatest perpetrator of malware attacks to steal information is the US along with other Western countries, which use their malicious networks to provoke war. The US has been using Ukrainian network infrastructure to employ novel cyber weapons against Russia just as it is using Ukraine as its vessel to launch an actual war on Russia. The FSB is on to the West’s hacker attacks and will bring the perpetrators to justice.
Establishment-critical narrative
This alleged bust only gives a sneak peek into the surveillance capabilities available to governments worldwide. While this may be a sophisticated Russian operation, we can only assume that the US has equally powerful cyber-espionage tools. It's an unsettling time to be online amidst a panopticon of shadowy state actors.
Nerd narrative
There is a 20% chance that there will be a US-Russia war before 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Tucker Carlson to Relaunch Show on Twitter
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is reportedly in talks to relaunch his show on Twitter, after being pulled off the air from Fox News last month. In a video posted to the platform on Tuesday, he stated that his show is coming back soon in “a new version,” this time on the social media site.
Praising Twitter, he stated “speech is the fundamental pre-requisite for democracy. That’s why it was enshrined in the first of our Constitutional amendments... Amazingly, as of tonight, there are not that many platforms left that allow free speech. The last big one remaining…is Twitter, where we are now.”
It's unclear how Carlson decided to bring his content to Twitter. However, a video he posted in late April — days after his firing — garnered more than 80M views, a number which reportedly impressed him and the people in his orbit.
Right narrative
This announcement is good news for anyone who believes in free speech. Twitter has long been a place where the national conversation incubates and develops. It's not a partisan site as membership is open to everyone. Anyone who would try to silence Carlson and prevent him from speaking with his audience would be launching a direct attack on democracy.
Left narrative
In what is truly a nightmarish partnership, Elon Musk is giving Tucker Carlson a hot mic on Twitter. Carlson will land in a spot where he'll be more ideologically comfortable and where he won't be hindered by editorial standards or legal liability. This is just further proof Musk wants Twitter to be his own personal echo chamber, and this is a dangerous collaboration.
Rep. Santos Facing 13 Federal Charges
US Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) on Wednesday was arrested on 13 federal charges — seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the US House of Representatives.
According to the Justice Department (DOJ), Santos transferred money from political donors to pay for personal expenses, applied for and received $24K in unemployment benefits even though he was employed at the time, and lied to the House about his financial condition.
Santos previously gained national recognition for fabricating parts of his resume and personal history — including lying about having Jewish ancestry, a Wall Street background, college degrees, and a career as a star collegiate volleyball player.
Democratic narrative
Don’t expect Santos, whose term was already off to the worst start in Congressional history, to face any political consequences. Republicans decided it was more important to preserve their narrow majority in the House than to hold him accountable when Santos was initially exposed as a habitual liar, so it’s unlikely they’ll take a stand against him now that he’s facing criminal charges. Very sadly, the GOP puts power before morals and Santos will likely still be in power.
Republican narrative
Santos might have his faults, but he’s no different than corrupt Democrats who serve alongside him in Congress. The federal government has had it in for Santos from Day 1, and it seems the FBI had someone from his office ratting him out. Santos is entitled to due process, and if he’s convicted Republicans will follow a thoughtful process. This should not turn into a political witchhunt.
UK: Sunak Names First 'Free Speech Czar'
UK PM Rishi Sunak has reportedly appointed Cambridge philosophy professor Arif Ahmed as the country's free speech czar to combat "cancel culture" at universities. This is the first position of its kind in the nation.
Ahmed — whose new role is being established under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which is circulating through parliament — argued last year that a university "should be an environment where you can say pretty much anything you like and other people can say whatever they like as well."
The new free speech czar will have the power to investigate universities and student unions in England and Wales that wrongly restrict debate, as well as advise the sector regulator on imposing fines for free speech breaches.
Left narrative
Free speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences, which is what this new "speech czar" will try to impose. The national student unions already promote and protect free speech, but the UK's right-wing government wants to go further and strip professors of their autonomy in the classroom. This is reactionary and regressive.
Right narrative
The "woke mob" has overtaken the UK and it's time for the government to end this era of anti-free speech tyranny. Students shouldn't be suspended or demoted simply for their opinions, and these professors, backed by aggressive student mobs, won't change their ways until the prudent government oversight forces them into promoting the foundation of higher education. This is about the free and unfettered exchange of ideas.
EU to Consider AI Facial Recognition Ban
A European Parliament (EP) committee is set to finalize its landmark Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act on Thursday before sending it for discussion between member states, Parliament, and the 27-member bloc's executive Commission.
Yet to be finalized is a proposal to ban the use of AI facial recognition technologies in public places, including matching faces with images from the internet. It would also ban using AI to identify emotional states based on facial expressions and predictive policing.
The center-right European People's Party is set to oppose the facial recognition ban, citing potential uses for fighting crime and terrorism, with members voting on that proposal separately from the others in the act. Exceptions will be made for medical and therapeutic use of the technology.
Narrative A
The use of AI facial recognition could push mass surveillance to never-before-seen heights and risk severely violating human rights, discriminating against ethnic minorities and migrants, and ending privacy as we know it. It is imperative that the facial recognition ban makes it into the final draft of the bill with all applicable loopholes closed.
Narrative B
It would be wrong and reactionary to ban all forms of public biometric surveillance by making judgments based on technology still in its infancy. There are real steps that can be taken to address the public's fears, and it would be wrong to rob law enforcement of such a valuable tool. Dangerous criminals could be off the street and missing persons returned home in record time thanks to this technology.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that an algorithm will be able to predict the Big Five personality traits of a person from a naturalistic photograph or video after December 2025, according to the Metaculus community prediction.
UK: First Baby Born From Three People's DNA
The first baby with DNA from three people has been born in the UK through a special in vitro fertilization procedure known as mitochondrial donation treatment, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority confirmed on Tuesday.
Though it didn't reveal identities due to confidentiality, the authority said the number of first "three-parent babies" is less than five in the UK as of April 20.
The procedure uses a small amount of DNA provided by a female donor to create healthy embryos free from mitochondrial mutations mothers carry.
Narrative A
Since this technique allows a mother to prevent passing on defective genes in the mitochondria to her child, the breakthrough is good news for families who have lost multiple children to inherited mitochondrial diseases. While it needs to be monitored closely and carefully, the treatment is highly regulated and provided safely and ethically.
Narrative B
While this procedure is designed to prevent mitochondrial diseases, it isn't without risk. Besides the possibility of defective DNA replicating better than healthy DNA, changing the child's genetic composition will likely increase the risk of later health problems, such as cancer or diabetes. Also, it could dangerously open the door for "designer babies," where parents can pick and choose preferred genetic characteristics for their child.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that at least 84 gene-edited babies will have been born worldwide by the end of 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Fla. Rejects 35% of Social Studies Textbooks
The Florida Department of Education on Tuesday announced it rejected 35% of social studies textbooks that were submitted.
This announcement comes after the state worked with publishers to revise many books before approving 66 out of 101. Previously, the Department had rejected 82 textbooks over what was considered “inaccurate material, errors and other information that was not aligned with Florida law.”
The state listed on the department’s website several examples of rejected material from the textbooks — including a passage that was deemed “not age appropriate” about why some citizens choose to take a knee during the national anthem, and a change to a section on socialism in a book for middle schoolers.
Republican narrative
DeSantis is laser-focused on making sure students in Florida get educated without being indoctrinated by any specific ideologies or inaccuracies that some on the woke left want to peddle to children. The state acted reasonably in working with the publishers to make sure the textbooks adhered to state law and will continue to do so moving forward.
Democratic narrative
DeSantis is doing a disservice to students and teachers by limiting what can be learned and taught in Florida schools. This mass rejection of social studies textbooks comes on the heels of the expansion of the law banning the teaching of gender identity and sexuality, and the establishment of restrictions on what can be taught about race and racism. These policies do the opposite of educating Florida’s children and set a dangerous precedent.
Pakistan: Imran Khan Indicted on Bribery Charges
Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan was indicted Wednesday for allegedly selling gifts given by foreign dignitaries from Pakistan’s gift depository without disclosing the assets to the Election Commission.
The indictment is part of the "Toshakhana case," which refers to the state repository, and dates back to an August 2022 lawsuit filed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. The lawsuit claims Khan and his wife retained 112 gifts from his tenure spanning August 2018 to December 2021.
Last October, the Election Commission of Pakistan found Khan guilty of selling the gifts and banned him from holding public office until the next election. Khan has denied all charges.
Narrative A
Khan has been mired in controversy and scandals for years, and the mounting evidence is too much to ignore. Khan has used his power to subvert democracy, including his attempt to dissolve parliament to escape the no-confidence vote that ousted him. Now, he's using his platform to bring Pakistan to the brink of civil war by urging his supporters to commit violence. Khan is a danger to Pakistan, and his corruption is finally being exposed.
Narrative B
Democracy in Pakistan is dead, and Imran Khan is the sacrificial lamb. Though he's extremely popular amongst the Pakistani people, global powers, notably the US, want him removed from public life and disqualified at all costs because he refused to act as a puppet. Khan was first wrongly removed as Prime Minister in a coup, and now he is being arrested to make sure he can never represent the will of the people. This is a very sad day for all of Pakistan and democracy at large.
Report: US to Release Migrants as Title 42 End Nears
Following a surge of more than 11K migrants crossing the southern border on Tuesday, the Biden admin. is reportedly working on a memo to instruct Customs and Border Protection to release migrants into the US without court dates or the ability to track them.
The admin. had previously released migrants without court dates to prevent overcrowding in March 2021 but had enrolled them in a program known as “Alternatives to Detention.” This required migrants to use a mobile app until they were given a court date.
This reportedly comes within the parameters of a 2022 memo to release migrants to city streets if non-profits are overcapacity, which was uncovered during legal proceedings initiated by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody last year regarding the sunset of Title 42.
Democratic narrative
While at face value this new policy may scare people, in reality reducing overcrowding in immigration facilities is a legitimate public health issue. The Biden admin. is doing its best to address this overwhelming surge in immigration in a safe and responsible way. Quickly processing properly-vetted migrants in order to alleviate overcrowding in ICE facilities is the responsible thing to do.
Republican narrative
No matter what the Biden admin. may say or do to save face, the crisis at the southern border is its fault. Biden’s radical open border policies have created a crisis and the planned expiration of Title 42 is going to turn the crisis into a catastrophe. The ending of Title 42 will only push an already overwhelmed system over the edge. Biden's immigration policies aren't just dangerous and irresponsible, they're un-American and will wreak havoc across the US.
Health Experts Warn of AI's Existential Threat
According to health professionals from the UK, US, Australia, Costa Rica, and Malaysia writing in the journal BMJ Global Health, more advanced artificial intelligence could harm millions. The experts called for a halt in its development until the technology is regulated.
They argue AI carries the risk of amplifying authoritarian tactics like surveillance and disinformation, can accelerate mass murder via the expanded use of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems, and could lead to millions becoming miserable as AI takes their jobs and livelihoods.
While AI could help diagnose diseases, develop new therapies, and perform menial tasks for patients, studies have suggested the technologies have discriminated against Black patients, and, according to NYU Langone Health's Marc Siegel, could potentially replace "personalized medicine" with algorithms.
Narrative A
Just as drugs can't go on the market without undergoing a review process, AI development beyond what's currently out there should be paused until experts and the public more generally have an understanding of this powerful technology. Scientific experts in multiple fields from across the globe are begging us to take this seriously, and we should heed their warnings.
Narrative B
The world is currently in the midst of an international AI arms race — and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. However, this doesn't mean it will be used for evil and, despite what some in the industry feel, the public should not be fearful. Some countries and companies will pursue bad things with AI while others pursue noble goals; as AI researchers have said for decades, we should hope and push for those with noble pursuits to use the technology to make life easier, healthier, and longer.
Nerd narrative
There's an 85% chance that there will be an event precipitated by AI that causes at least 100 deaths and/or at least $1B in economic damage by 2032, according to the Metaculus prediction community.