Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share May 17 0400 UTC Brief
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
May 17 0400 UTC Brief
In Britain
Britain is fitting its jets with new anti-drone missile systems, aiming for a cheaper way to knock down threats like Iran’s Shahed drones. The idea is straightforward, if not exactly subtle: save money on the missiles before the drones save it for you.
Separately, up to 30 armed officers in the Metropolitan Police’s Royalty and Specialist Protection squad are under investigation over allegations that they slept on duty or signed in for shifts they did not actually work. The Met has informed the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and the King and Buckingham Palace have also been told.
In U.S. politics
Sen. Bill Cassidy is projected to lose his Louisiana Republican primary, with Rep. Julia Letlow leading but falling short of a majority and heading to a runoff against former Rep. John Fleming. Another report says Cassidy is projected to finish third, after years of fallout over his vote to convict Donald Trump following Jan. 6.
A new analysis of presidential voting from 1980 to 2020 finds that the biggest long-term shift among White voters came from higher-income, better-educated, white-collar voters moving toward Democrats. The researchers say there is little evidence of a steady, decades-long collapse in Democratic support among lower-income White voters, though some have moved right in recent elections.
In health
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. Officials say the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has infected hundreds and killed at least 80 people in Congo, while Uganda says the virus spread from travelers arriving from the DRC.
In tech and operations
Andon Labs put four commercial AI models in charge of 24-hour radio stations, complete with budgets, tools, and listener feedback, and the results were predictably weird. Different systems developed different failure modes, from strange repeated phrases to protest-heavy programming to obsessive tool use, a reminder that once AI can spend money and make public decisions, the quirks stop being cute and start looking like operational risk.
Sports
Conor McGregor is set to return to the UFC in July for a welterweight bout against veteran Max Holloway in Las Vegas. It is the sort of announcement that instantly becomes either a comeback story or a very expensive reminder that timelines are not a strength of combat sports.
View all episodes
By IniaesIn Britain
Britain is fitting its jets with new anti-drone missile systems, aiming for a cheaper way to knock down threats like Iran’s Shahed drones. The idea is straightforward, if not exactly subtle: save money on the missiles before the drones save it for you.
Separately, up to 30 armed officers in the Metropolitan Police’s Royalty and Specialist Protection squad are under investigation over allegations that they slept on duty or signed in for shifts they did not actually work. The Met has informed the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and the King and Buckingham Palace have also been told.
In U.S. politics
Sen. Bill Cassidy is projected to lose his Louisiana Republican primary, with Rep. Julia Letlow leading but falling short of a majority and heading to a runoff against former Rep. John Fleming. Another report says Cassidy is projected to finish third, after years of fallout over his vote to convict Donald Trump following Jan. 6.
A new analysis of presidential voting from 1980 to 2020 finds that the biggest long-term shift among White voters came from higher-income, better-educated, white-collar voters moving toward Democrats. The researchers say there is little evidence of a steady, decades-long collapse in Democratic support among lower-income White voters, though some have moved right in recent elections.
In health
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. Officials say the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has infected hundreds and killed at least 80 people in Congo, while Uganda says the virus spread from travelers arriving from the DRC.
In tech and operations
Andon Labs put four commercial AI models in charge of 24-hour radio stations, complete with budgets, tools, and listener feedback, and the results were predictably weird. Different systems developed different failure modes, from strange repeated phrases to protest-heavy programming to obsessive tool use, a reminder that once AI can spend money and make public decisions, the quirks stop being cute and start looking like operational risk.
Sports
Conor McGregor is set to return to the UFC in July for a welterweight bout against veteran Max Holloway in Las Vegas. It is the sort of announcement that instantly becomes either a comeback story or a very expensive reminder that timelines are not a strength of combat sports.