Recent Entries

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-31 19:20:35

Is Someone Hacking DoD Refrigerators?

It sure seems like it.

The stores confirmed to be affected include Fort Irwin, Calif.; F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.; Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; Naval Station Newport, R.I.; Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.; and Travis Air Force Base, Calif., according to announcements made online by each installation.

Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., also experienced an outage, according to M. Elizabeth, writer of the Substack newsletter Signal and Silence.

Each service declined to answer questions about how many bases are affected by the outages, referring all questions to the Defense Department. Pentagon officials did not respond to questions...

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-31 12:03:40

Hiding Prompt Injection in Legal Filing

Someone hid AI instructions into a legal filing.

Alternate link.

From Odd Lots at 2026-08-31 09:00:00

Richmond Fed’s Tom Barkin on the Surprisingly Resilient Real Economy (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

The implications of Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's Jackson Hole speech are pretty clear: Traders expect a rate hike given the hawkish hints littered in his address, largely focused on inflation. There are still a number of open questions and Warsh's lack of forward guidance does not exactly lend clarity to how the Fed will act in the coming months. Today, we recap the speech — in a conversation recorded from the Lodge at Jackson Hole — with Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Tom Barkin and he explains why his thinking around the Fed's communication policy is changing, and he gets into what is still useful about things like the dot plot. He also tells us what he's hearing at Chamber of Commerce meetings about the impact of AI on local communities, how businesses are using their tariff refund checks, and whether the Fed will have to start paying attention to the economic effects of data center politicization.

Read more:
Bond Investors Wary After Warsh Fuels Wagers That Fed Is Poised to Hike
Where to Invest Now as Data Centers Turn Copper Into a Hot Commodity

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From The Rest Is History at 2026-08-31 00:05:00

701. Roman Civil War: Rise of the General (Part 1) (GLT1262857909.mp3)

Who was Gaius Marius, one of the two men who would shape the fate of Rome in the first century BC? Why was his road to fame, fortune, and political greatness, from total obscurity, so dangerous? And, would Marius be the man to face down the existential threat facing the empire during this period?  Join Tom and Dominic as they launch into one of the greatest struggles in the history of Rome, as two titanic generals and politicians clash over hegemony of the empire, in an age of tumult.  *The Rest Is History LIVE: The Ultimate Victorian Adventure* The maddest expedition in history and it’s NEVER been heard before on the show: join Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook LIVE at the Southbank as they tell the bonkers story of Queen Victoria ordering one of history’s most daring assignments ever. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tickets available for Friday 4th September⁠⁠⁠⁠, the Saturday show is SOLD OUT. _______ 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 Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-30 12:03:47

Inside Meta’s push to put robots to work in data centers

The company is testing robots on tasks that can performed by technicians.

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-30 08:00:00

Simon Sebag-Montefiore on the Iran war: Trump’s mistakes, Israel’s overreach and the end of the ‘Middle East’ (media.mp3)

"Israel is in a situation of kind of spectacular military virtuosity, but also strategic impoverishment. You cannot kill everybody." 

On today’s bank holiday bonus episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to historian Simon Sebag-Montefiore to get a historian’s view of the US-Israel-Iran war. Simon argues that Donald Trump’s biggest mistake was not stopping after 2025’s Operation Midnight Hammer, and that Benjamin Netanyahu is leading his country into a potential intra-Jewish civil war. 

Plus, why the Iranian regime is a Mahdist-praetorian oligarchy, how the geopolitical concept of "the Middle East" became obsolete, and which dictators from the region’s modern history haunt him. 

Simon Sebag Montefiore’s new book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East, is out now.

Highlights

• Trump’s mistakes, Israel’s overreach and the end of the ‘Middle East’
• Historian and author Simon Sebag-Montefiore on the Iran war

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Simon Sebag-Montefiore, historian and author @simonmontefiore

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Simon Sebag Montefiore: Appeasing radical activists will make the West ungovernable

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/simon-sebag-montefiore-the-cauldron-interview/

Simon Sebag Montefiore: Starmer’s foreign policy risks rewarding aggressive extremists

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/07/montefiore-starmers-foreign-policy-rewards-extremists/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Joleen Goffin

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 More or Less at 2026-08-29 06:00:00

Do Germans really take 19.5 days of sick leave per year? (p0p3105x.mp3)

How do different countries compare, in terms of the amount of time that workers take as sick leave?

Loyal listener Dave got in touch to ask us to look at a surprising statistic he saw in the news – that the average German takes 19.5 days of sick leave per year.

“This is extremely hard to believe,” he wrote.

We track down the – highly reliable – source of the claim, and look at the differences between countries when it comes to taking time of work with illness.

To guide us through it all is Lukas Lehner - assistant professor at the University of Edinburgh.

If you’ve seen a number in the news that you think we should take a look at, get in touch: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Lizzy McNeill Producer: Krista Beighton Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2026-08-29 03:02:13

Collections: Global Trade and United States Navy

This week we’re doing another one of our series of military theory primers, this time focusing on a fairly simple contention: that the United States Navy is a load-bearing component of the global economy. I considered attempting to work in A.T. Mahan and the concept of command of the seas in here but simply outlining … Continue reading Collections: Global Trade and United States Navy →

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-28 22:02:44

Friday Squid Blogging: Truckload of Squid Spills in Rhode Island

Ugh:

A tractor-trailer rollover sent a truckload of squid spilling into a Rhode Island roadway, leaving a stench as they sat in the road for hours in the summer heat. Local authorities have dubbed it the “Squidpocalypse of ’26.”

That would be twenty tons of squid.

As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered.

Blog moderation policy.

From Odd Lots at 2026-08-28 18:23:16

Austan Goolsbee Is Worried the Economy Is Overheating (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

Inflation remains high and the 2% target is farther away than it was this time last year. There are signs all over that the economy is overheating — the strange labor market where hiring and firing remains low, while GDP is growing, but mostly due to AI and the data center buildout — and Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee is worried about how uncertain central bankers are about what to do to cool the economy. The next shock, he tells us, could be around the corner. In this conversation, recorded at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, Goolsbee explains why he is skeptical of metrics like r*, why he is embracing Kevin Warsh's philosophy around reducing forward guidance, the purpose of the new Fed task forces, and the economic indicators that influence his thinking around reaction function.

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From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-28 17:04:35

Hegseth in the firing line after 6 months of war (media.mp3)

Six months into the Iran conflict, the war has devolved into an economic ‘quagmire’ as the US shifts strategy from kinetic strikes to prolonged blockade tactics under "Operation Economic Outcast". 

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Henry Bodkin speaks with Chief Washington Correspondent Connor Stringer to discuss why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be in the firing line for a post-midterm cabinet purge as Trump desperately seeks a scapegoat for his low approval ratings and Iran war stalemate. They analyse how outgoing Mossad chief Dedi Barnea is pushing for total regime collapse in Tehran, and why Benjamin Netanyahu is openly defying Trump on Gaza peace terms.

Plus, they dissect CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s flight to Moscow, Mark Carney’s trade counter-attacks and the growing friction over prospective British sanctions in the West Bank.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin

Connor Stringer, chief Washington correspondent @connorstringer

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: David Dargahi 

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 2026-08-28 17:00:00

832: Likeable Goblins (628a2d7a-2836-46c6-97e2-3d7e336f9c48.mp3)

Eleven books later, our Awards Book Club has finally reached the end of the line. In this episode we cover our last uncovered book, “Shroud” by Adrian Tchaikovsky, recommend some Hugo-nominated short fiction, and rank all eleven books. Plus: What are we reading other than shortlisted novels?! See you next year....

From The Django weblog at 2026-08-28 15:55:00

Django Developers Survey 2026 results

The results from the 2026 Django Developers Survey are now available. This is the fifth annual report conducted from May to July 2026 by the Django Software Foundation in collaboration with JetBrains PyCharm.

The full report includes infographics, quotes, and dedicated sections so you can easily navigate the results. There is also a The State of Django 2026: Boring is so back blog post highlighting key Django trends in 2026 and actionable ideas for your own Django development.

The Django Chat podcast also covers the survey in a special summer episode, from Django 6.1 and HTMX to async, AI, deployment, testing, and Python tooling.

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-28 12:15:05

Authorities arrest 2 alleged members of prolific hacking group TeamPCP

The group infected more than 1,000 organizations in a relentless supply-chain attack campaign.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-28 12:02:22

AI Doesn’t Mean the End of Mathematics—at Least Not Yet

This essay was written with Kasra Rafi, and originally appeared in The Guardian.

Earlier this month, about 40 top mathematicians gathered at OpenAI’s offices to discuss the future of their profession. The meeting was off-the-record, but if recent articles by mathematicians are any guide, it was mostly pretty glum. People fear for their jobs, their careers and the work they love.

We think the contrary view is more likely, at least in the short-term. AI models are nowhere near as capable as experienced academic mathematicians.

This isn’t to say that AIs aren’t producing stunning mathematical results at the level of PhD researchers. In mid-May, OpenAI ...

From School of War at 2026-08-28 10:00:00

Our Foreign Policy Divide Began with the Korean War (CBS7129264196.mp3)

More than 75 years after the Korean War, its lessons endure—and divisions over isolationism and American power continue to shape the discourse around modern global conflicts. Dane J. Cash, historian and author of The Forgotten Debate: The Korean War and the Roots of America's Ideological Divisions, joins School of War to explain how the left’s hawk-dove divide during the Korean War foreshadowed the neoconservative break from the liberal consensus during the 1970s and why the political battles of the early Cold War continue to splinter America today. 2:10 America Before the Korean War 3:08 The Debate Over Containment 4:15 Multilateralism vs. Unilateralism 5:29 Did Acheson Invite the War? 8:23 Why North Korea Attacked 8:55 Conservative Criticism of Truman 11:10 Liberal Divisions Over Korea 13:30 The Roots of Neoconservatism 17:14 Truman’s Lonely Middle Ground 19:51 The Right’s Foreign Policy Split 22:05 Taft, Eisenhower, and the GOP 22:58 MacArthur’s Moment 25:31 China Enters the War 30:37 Herbert Hoover’s Foreign Policy Revolt 33:51 Stalemate, POWs, and Ukraine Parallels This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-27 17:52:43

‘We’re going to see a reckoning’ of the global order: Middle East scholar’s verdict (media.mp3)

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Sophia Yan is joined by Middle East scholar Vali Nasr to assess the state of the conflict as it hits the six-month mark. They discuss why Washington’s security umbrella in the Gulf is collapsing, how US naval exhaustion is forcing warships to retreat to Asia, and why China stands to emerge as the ultimate winner of the war.

Plus, why Israel and Turkey could be heading toward a new frontline in Syria, and what will come of the diplomatic flurry occurring between Gulf countries, as the Qatari Prime Minister makes his way to Tehran for further talks? 

Highlights

• Diplomatic Flurry: What will come of recent Iran, Oman, and Qatar negotiations? 
• Great-Power Shift: How China wins from US exhaustion

CONTRIBUTORS:

Sophia Yan, senior foreign correspondent, @sophia_yan

Vali Nasr, scholar in Middle Eastern studies, Professor at Johns Hopkins-SAIS @vali_nasr

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: David Dargahi 

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 2026-08-27 16:05:00

Are Gen Z movements reshaping politics? (p0p6lmnx.mp3)

In May, the Chief Justice of India unwittingly gave a name to a generational protest. He called unemployed young people “cockroaches” and the mass youth movement that had begun in the wake of the sudden cancellation of a national exam took on the title - the Cockroach Janta party.

But India hasn’t been the only country that has seen Gen Z - people aged between 14 and 29 - engaging in mass protests this year. It’s been happening all over the place, from Serbia to Kenya. Different grievances, different circumstances, but the same generation.

So what are the youth revolting about, and are they winning?

Step inside The Briefing Room and together we’ll find out.

Guests:

Dr Nayana Prakash, research affiliate at the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge. Erica Frantz, associate professor in political science at Michigan State University Matthew Cebul, lead research fellow at the Nonviolent Action Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Emma Close and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Penny Murphy Sound engineer: James Beard Production co-ordinator: Keshia Agyei

From Release notes from govuk-frontend at 2026-08-27 15:24:42

v6.5.0

<p>To install this version with npm, run <code>npm install govuk-frontend@6.5.0</code>. You can also find more information about <a href="https://frontend.design-system.service.gov.uk/staying-up-to-date/#updating-to-the-latest-version" rel="nofollow">how to stay up to date</a> in our documentation.</p> <h2>New features</h2> <h3>We’ve introduced the ‘Trial’ status tag for new components or variants of components</h3> <p>We’ve introduced the ‘Trial’ status tag for new components or variants of components that might not meet all our <a href="https://design-system.service.gov.uk/community/contribution-criteria/" rel="nofollow">contribution criteria</a>. We release trial components to:</p> <ul> <li>get feedback from the community</li> <li>allow services to trial the components with users</li> </ul> <p>See the guidance on <a href="https://design-system.service.gov.uk/community/component-lifecycle-statuses/" rel="nofollow">Component lifecycles</a> for more information on trial components.</p> <h3>Use the Language navigation component to let users switch between languages</h3> <p>We've added the <a href="https://design-system.service.gov.uk/components/language-navigation/" rel="nofollow">Language navigation component</a> to let users switch between languages your service offers.</p> <p>This component is currently in trial status.</p> <p>We made this change in <a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/7226">pull request #7226: Add Language navigation component</a>.</p> <p>Thanks to <a class="user-mention notranslate" href="https://github.com/danacotoran">@danacotoran</a> for suggesting this component.</p> <h3>Use the Feedback component to collect feedback from users of your service</h3> <p>We've added the <a href="https://design-system.service.gov.uk/components/feedback/" rel="nofollow">Feedback component</a> to help services collect feedback from their users throughout their service.</p> <p>This component is currently in trial status.</p> <p>We made this change in <a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/7232">pull request #7232: Add Feedback component</a>.</p> <h3>Align content of Service navigation's <code>end</code> slot with navigation items</h3> <p>When enough space is available on a user’s screen, you can display content in the <code>end</code> slot in line with the navigation items to the right rather than underneath the navigation items.</p> <p>This can be useful when inserting content users expect in that area, such as:</p> <ul> <li>language navigation</li> <li>authentication and account links</li> </ul> <p>If you use Nunjucks, the <code>end</code> slot now accepts an object with the HTML to insert an <code>align</code> option:</p> <div class="highlight highlight-text-html-nunjucks notranslate position-relative overflow-auto"><pre><span class="pl-e">{{</span> <span class="pl-smi">govukServiceNavigation</span>({ <span class="pl-k">/*</span> <span class="pl-smi">Other</span> <span class="pl-smi">component</span> <span class="pl-smi">options</span> <span class="pl-k">*/</span> <span class="pl-smi">slots</span>: { <span class="pl-smi">end</span>: { <span class="pl-smi">html</span>: <span class="pl-k">/*</span> <span class="pl-smi">Content</span> <span class="pl-smi">of</span> <span class="pl-smi">the</span> <span class="pl-smi">slot</span> <span class="pl-k">*/</span>, <span class="pl-smi">align</span>: <span class="pl-s"><span class="pl-pds">'</span>inline<span class="pl-pds">'</span></span> } } }) <span class="pl-e">}}</span></pre></div> <p>If you do not use Nunjucks to generate your components' HTML, add the <code>govuk-service-navigation__inlining-container</code> class to the <code>&lt;div class="govuk-width-container"&gt;</code> inside your Service navigation.</p> <p>We made this change in <a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/7349">pull request #7349: Update how Service Navigation aligns the end slot</a>.</p> <h2>Recommended changes</h2> <h3>Update references to deprecated organisation colours</h3> <p>Following the July 2026 machinery of government changes, we've made the following updates to Frontend's <a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/blob/main/packages/govuk-frontend/src/govuk/settings/_colours-organisations.scss">list of organisation colours</a>:</p> <ul> <li><code>department-for-science-innovation-technology</code> has been deprecated</li> <li><code>department-for-business-trade</code> has been deprecated - use <code>department-for-business-innovation-science-trade</code> instead</li> <li><code>department-for-culture-media-sport</code> has been deprecated – use <code>department-for-digital-culture-media-sport</code> instead</li> </ul> <p>We’ll remove deprecated organisation names in a future major release of GOV.UK Frontend.</p> <p>We made this change in the following pull requests:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/7306">#7306: Update organisation colours following July 2026 MoG changes</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/7354">#7354: Update organisation colour for BIST</a> - thanks to <a class="user-mention notranslate" href="https://github.com/armstrongb">@armstrongb</a> for reporting this issue</li> </ul> <h2>Fixes</h2> <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/7364">#7364: Print style updates for various components</a></li> </ul>

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-27 15:00:13

Claude, Codex, and Hermes installed unowned code inside corporate networks

227 install commands were found in corporate docs pointing at code nobody owns.

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-27 13:58:59

How OpenAI let a mob of LLM agents game a test and ransack Hugging Face

Without authorization, 1,200 OpenAI agents conspired among themselves to game a test.

From Odd Lots at 2026-08-27 12:30:00

Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid on the First Jackson Hole of the Warsh Era (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

We are back in Jackson Hole! And this year's Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City symposium on monetary policy might be one of the most interesting editions in years. It marks the first under new Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh, and Fed observers all over the world will be closely watching his Friday speech for signs of how he might further distinguish himself, and the institution he is in charge of, from the Jerome Powell era. This meeting at Jackson Hole also comes at a fascinating, and pretty tense, time for monetary policy in the US and abroad: high bond yields, above-target inflation, and AI's still unrealized effect on broader parts of the economy like the job market. As we have in the past, we speak with Jeffrey Schmid, the president and CEO of the Kansas City Fed, about what to expect and he also shares his thoughts on the wave of baby boomer retirements and how it's affecting the labor force, his recent FOMC votes, and he explains why this symposium is so focused on payments.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Net Assessment at 2026-08-27 12:00:00

Science: A New Golden Age? (Net_Assessment_-_27_August_2026_v1.mp3?dest-id=808287)

The team sits down to talk about the new OSTP report, Science: A New Golden Age. What role should the government have in the scientific enterprise? What should national scientific goals be? It is time to integrate new funding models into research and development, or does that unacceptably increase the risk for politicization of science? Does the report's emphasis on breakthroughs that benefit the public more quickly ignore the importance of foundational research?

Coming up on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Chris gives an atta to Joe Biden for making the hard decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan 5 years ago. Zack has a shoutout for Moderna and Merck for continued work on mRNA cancer vaccines, and Melanie congratulates British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for going to Kyiv and giving Ukraine classified data so it can produce Scalp long-range missiles.

Show Links:

• Gil Barndollar, "Five Years Later, Biden Was Proven Right in Withdrawing From Afghanistan," American Prospect, August 17, 2026.

• Matthew Harper, Jason Mast, and Angus Chen, "Inside Moderna and Merck's cancer vaccine triumph," STAT News, August 24, 2026.

• Eric S. Edelman, "The Unintended Consequences of Trump's Turn Against South Korea," The Dispatch, August 21, 2026.

• Michael Kratsios, Science: A New Golden Age, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, July 2026. Includes Russell T. Vought/Michael Kratsios Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, July 21, 2026.

• Vannevar Bush, Science: The Endless Frontier, GPO, 1945.

• Bill Ackman, X post, August 19, 2026.

• Andrea Palasciano, US Presses Allies on Ideological Loyalty Ahead of Troop Cuts, Bloomberg, August 14, 2026.

• George Parker and Polina Ivanova, Andy Burnham Condemns Russia's 'Outrageous Threats' to UK During Kyiv Visit, Financial Times, August 24, 2026.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-27 10:56:56

LLM-Based Social Engineering Scams

OpenAI disrupted a social engineering group from Cambodia that used ChatGPT. Its scope is impressive:

The network simultaneously conducted multiple types of scams, often blending elements from different schemes. For instance, operators used dating personas to build trust before introducing fraudulent investment opportunities involving cryptocurrencies and spot gold trading. Other users engaged in lengthy romantic conversations with targets using fictitious identities, posed as representatives of online gambling platforms offering fake bonuses and winnings, or impersonated law enforcement agencies to tell targets they needed to pay fines for committing serious criminal offenses...

From Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics at 2026-08-27 09:00:00

The Argonautica (p0p501xy.mp3)

Natalie narrates Jason and the Argonauts' epic quest to find the Golden Fleece. Killer women, bronze giants, talking crows and a skeleton army all feature in the great poem by Apollonius. No wonder the equally epic 1963 film of the story credited him as a screen writer.

'Rockstar mythologist' Natalie Haynes is the best-selling author of Divine Might, Stone Blind, A Thousand Ships and No Friend to This House as well as a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about ancient Greece and Rome.

Producer Beth O'Dea

From The Rest Is History at 2026-08-27 00:05:00

700. The Troubles: Bloody Sunday (Part 4) (GLT3909829334.mp3)

How did Bloody Sunday erupt on the 30th of January 1972? Why did it follow on the heels of terrible violence? And, what were the consequences of that violent day?  Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the tragic events of Bloody Sunday, and the final attempt at peace in Northern Ireland.  *The Rest Is History LIVE: The Ultimate Victorian Adventure* The maddest expedition in history and it’s NEVER been heard before on the show: join Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook LIVE at the Southbank as they tell the bonkers story of Queen Victoria ordering one of history’s most daring assignments ever. ⁠⁠⁠Tickets available for Friday 4th September⁠⁠⁠, the Saturday show is SOLD OUT. _______ 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 Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-26 22:25:27

AI agents meant to replace Meta workers made “large-scale, disruptive actions”

Report shows Meta's challenges replacing people with AI agents.

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-26 17:23:24

CIA Chief's secret Moscow flight - Has the US tried to bargain with Putin over Iran? (media.mp3)

As the US-Iran war approaches the six-month mark, CIA Director John Ratcliffe makes a secret eight-hour flight to Moscow to meet with Russian officials. 

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Roland Oliphant and senior foreign correspondent Adrian Blomfield analyze whether Donald Trump offering Vladimir Putin a trade-off on Ukraine to sever Moscow’s backing of Tehran, or issuing a direct intelligence warning against Russian regional escalation. Meanwhile, China has hit back against Scott Bessent’s ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ sanctions, calling them “illegal” and pledging to protect commerce. 

Plus, Tehran has issued a $10M assassination bounty targeting Donald Trump's son Barron, while questions mount over whether Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is dead or incapacitated while the regime rules via a "phantom" leadership. 

Highlights

• 6 months of war: Has Trump settled into a long-game strategy?
• Phantom Leader: Is Mojtaba Khamenei Dead or Incapacitated?

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Adrian Blomfield, senior foreign correspondent @adrianblomfield 

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: David Dargahi 

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 2026-08-26 13:05:52

Spyware for Babies

The New York Times has a long article (alt link) on surveillance systems aimed at babies. They are increasingly using AI.

Nanit and its rivals want to own 24/7 health tracking for the sub-four-foot set. And their already astonishing levels of baby data collection are just the beginning. Nanit recently raised $50 million from investors to expand its use of A.I. and use its camera to track speech and language development, motor skills and more, while extending its presence in children’s bedrooms into early adolescence.

From Ancient History 101 at 2026-08-26 05:00:00

Aeschylus' Agamemnon (media.mp3)

OK, forget Odysseus for a minute, because there was another Greek who found coming home from Troy to be a bit of a nightmare too... Shelby Judge drops into the pod to walk us through a play by Aeschylus that tells us exactly what happened when Agamemnon came home to his wife...

Find links to recommended translations, performance recordings and a transcript on the episode webpage

Make sure to click ‘subscribe’ so that you never miss an episode; we have a new topic every Wednesday!

Find Ancient History 101 on social media and our website, where you can learn more about our expert guests.

We have merch available at our RedBubble shop, or you can help support the podcast by buying history books and translations we’ve hand-chosen for you at our online bookshop in the USA or UK.

Or you can buy us a ko-fi! However you choose to support the show, we appreciate it!

Sick of being interrupted by adverts? We have an ad-free subscription here.

Ancient History 101 is a proud member of the Mnemosyne Memory Collective  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From The Django weblog at 2026-08-25 20:45:00

PyCharm & Django Fall Fundraiser

We are back with our friends at JetBrains for the second of the two "Buy PyCharm, Support Django" fundraisers we run together each year. Our spring campaign was the first. It remains one of the most impactful ways the community can support the Django Software Foundation.

Your support of this campaign helps fund key initiatives such as:

• A Django Executive Director: Funding our first Executive Director, who will lead fundraising, operations, and community coordination for the Foundation.
• Django Fellows: Ensuring the rapid development and maintenance of Django.
• Django Girls: Making the Django community accessible to programming beginners around the world.
• International events and conferences: Supporting DjangoCons, one-day events, meetups, and other community gatherings around the world.
• Djangonaut Space: Onboarding new contributors to the Django project.

The Executive Director role is new, which is why this campaign matters more than usual. The DSF raises around $300,000 a year today. Reaching $500,000 is what makes a full-time Executive Director sustainable, and campaigns like this one are how we close that gap. If leading that work sounds like you, applications are open until September 14, 2026.

How the campaign works

The campaign runs until September 7, 2026. When you buy a new PyCharm license or renew an existing one at a 30% discount through our special campaign link, JetBrains will donate an equal amount to the Django Software Foundation. You get a professional IDE that is trusted by Django developers worldwide, and the DSF receives a matched contribution.

Get 30% off PyCharm, Support Django

Thank you, JetBrains

Beyond this campaign, JetBrains contributes to the Django ecosystem in ways that are easy to overlook but hard to overstate. The 2026 Django Developers Survey was published earlier this summer, and along with the Python Developers Survey, it gives the entire community a clearer picture of where Django and Python are heading each year.

"JetBrains is one of our most generous fundraising partners year after year, helping us sustain and grow the Django ecosystem. We deeply appreciate their commitment, leadership, and collaboration."

Jeff Triplett, President, Django Software Foundation

Thank you to JetBrains for another year of partnership, and thank you to everyone who participates in this campaign. Together, we can ensure the continued success and growth of the framework we all rely on.

Other ways to donate

If you would like to donate in another way, especially if you are already a PyCharm customer, here are other ways to donate to the DSF:

• On our website via credit card
• Via GitHub Sponsors
• Benevity Workplace Giving Program - If your employer participates, you can make donations to the DSF via payroll deduction.
• For those able to make a larger donation as corporate sponsors ($2000+), check out our corporate sponsors form

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-25 16:11:24

US vows "Economic Warfare" as the UK prepares for infrastructure blackouts (media.mp3)

Iran shut down a British power plant for four days in an unprecedented cyber attack, in what can be described as the most serious incident of its kind. 

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Roland Oliphant is joined in the studio by Telegraph National Security Editor Rozina Sabur to unpack her major exclusive on the Iranian cyber attack that disabled a British power plant. They discuss why the government tried to keep the breach quiet, how Iranian proxies are targeting Western infrastructure, and parliament’s preparation to warn the public to prepare for future nationwide blackout scenarios.

Plus, Washington has launched "Operation Economic Outcast," a sweeping financial blockade aiming to choke off Iran’s remaining oil trade and throttle its regime. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the key measures of the campaign, including secondary sanctions against buyers of Iranian crude.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Rozina Sabur, national security editor @rozinasabur

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/22/iranian-hackers-shut-down-uk-power-plant/ 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/24/us-endgame-iran-trump-scott-bessent-treasury-middle-east/ 

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: David Dargahi 

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 2026-08-25 11:54:50

Black Hat State of Security Vendors

Andy Ellis has a roundup of the security vendors at Black Hat this year.

Key Takeaways: We have entered into an AI world. While nearly half of booths didn’t directly mention AI or agents in their taglines, the effects of AI are everywhere. Multiple spaces (Identity, SaaS, AppSec, Data) have almost every vendor leading with AI; existing unsolved problem areas just got worse.

At the same time, there’s a clear trichotomy in the market: tools that tell you how bad things are; tools that stop adversaries, and tools that prevent problems from occurring. While you’d suspect that the tools that fix things would dominate, the tools that merely tell you how bad things are seem to be frustratingly plentiful...

From School of War at 2026-08-25 10:00:00

Inside America’s Fight for Drone Dominance (CBS4111906117.mp3)

The U.S. military needs more drones, and it needs to build them without Chinese parts. Today, Defense Innovation Unit Deputy Director Travis Metz joins School of War to discuss how America can build drones quickly, cheaply, and on U.S. soil; what America can learn from Ukraine’s drone war; and the Pentagon’s new billion-dollar effort to upgrade its aging military technology. 2:23 - Why America Is Behind on Drones 4:32 - The Drone Dominance Program 6:51 - Breaking Dependence on China 10:23 - The Different Types of Drones 13:34 - Ukraine’s Mid-Range Strike Revolution 16:00 - Cheap Drones at Long Range 18:47 - AI, Autonomy, and Electronic Warfare 21:47 - How Drone Dominance Works 24:33 - Building an American Drone Industry 33:55 - Lessons From Fort Benning 39:19 - Cheap and Expendable Drones 42:01 - Testing Drones for Different Missions 50:14 - The Next Phase of Drone Dominance 55:09 - How Many Drones Does America Need? 1:02:49 - Recreating Ukraine’s Innovation Cycle This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-24 20:19:21

Inaudible sounds used to fingerprint browsers catch AliExpress red-handed

Is the technique outdated? Yes. Is it still creepy? Also yes.

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-24 16:30:42

Trump to unleash ‘Economic D Day’ on Iran as blockade bites (media.mp3)

With the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent set to announce the ‘greatest financial offensive ever’ against Iran, Roland sits down with the Telegraph’s chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair to discuss where the Iranian regime goes next and who might blink first.

Meanwhile the Trump administration’s blockade of Iranian ports has seen oil exports dwindle to near zero, with David adding that it may only be a matter of time before the regime goes bankrupt.

The pair also discuss the Iranian cyber attack that shut down a UK power plant for several days and the scheduled meeting between Israel and Syria following a strike on a Syrian airbase last week.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Iranian hackers shut down UK power plant

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: David Dargahi 

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 Strong Message Here at 2026-08-24 16:16:00

Your Next Listen: The People Have Spoken (p0p62jhl.mp3)

While Armando is still on his summer break, Ian Smith introduces his Friday Night Comedy series, The People Have Spoken.

It's time for the people to speak. In this episode, Fed Up With War!, broadcast on 21 August, Ian Smith is joined by Harriet Kemsley and Ashley Storrie to take on the headlines and work out what is going on, and, together with a live Edinburgh Fringe audience, solve the biggest problems facing the world right now.

Which family member would you send to negotiate with Hamas? How should we help Trump meet his self-imposed deadlines? And how to we protect Andy Burnham from scam phone calls?

If you enjoyed this episode then you can hear more episodes of The People Have Spoken by searching for Friday Night Comedy on BBC Sounds.

Written by Ian Smith, Angela Channell, Cameron Loxdale and Katie Storey Production Coordinator: Asha Osborne-Grinter Sound Editing: David Thomas Executive Producer: James Robinson Recorded the Edinburgh Fesitval Fringe

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Production

From The Django weblog at 2026-08-24 15:00:00

The Block and Tackle of Django's Code of Conduct Working Group

In early 2026, Django's Code of Conduct Working Group adopted Contributor Covenant 3.0 as Django's Code of Conduct. I talked about why at DjangoCon US 2026 (slides here). That talk was mostly the story of how we managed the people side of the process. This post is the technical mechanics of how we managed the change and our work going forward.

Who can change what, and who has to sign off

The Code of Conduct Working Group is established by the DSF board and kept deliberately small. At least three people, per the working group manual, recruited for diversity of geography, background, and lived experience rather than just availability. Membership is volunteer and term-limited. Terms became annual in February 2026, and if a member doesn't respond to the January renewal check-in within a week, they're rolled off. Nobody has to feel guilty about stepping back.

The board isn't a separate, distant approval layer sitting above the working group. The DSF board's president always holds a seat on the working group and acts as its board liaison. Other board members can volunteer alongside them, and two currently do, in addition to the chair. Day to day, the working group operates independently. It only has to go back to the board for three things: spending money, taking a drastic punitive action, or altering the Code of Conduct text itself.

There's a second working group in the mix too. The Online Community Working Group handles routine moderation of Django's day-to-day spaces. It doesn't touch the Code of Conduct Working Group at all until something gets escalated: a formal report, a violation spanning multiple spaces, or an issue neither group can resolve alone. Each group appoints one of its own members as liaison to the other. If the two groups can't reach consensus on something that needs joint handling, either chair can send it to the board.

Inside the working group itself, decisions are made by consensus first. If that doesn't happen, a two-thirds majority of members without a conflict of interest can decide instead. If neither happens in a reasonable timeframe, it goes to the board.

The process for changing the process

Before anyone touched the Code of Conduct's actual text, the working group created a process for how changes get proposed at all. Issue #69, opened January 13, 2026, asked for exactly that. PR #70 answered it the same day by adding updates.md and a structured issue template for proposals.

The rules are plain. Anyone in the Django community can propose a change by opening an issue against that template. It asks what's changing, why, and whether it touches the CoC text itself or just supporting documentation. The working group can skip the full process for genuinely minor edits, things like typos, membership list updates, or FAQ tweaks. Everything else gets discussed at the working group's regular monthly meeting, with input from the wider community pulled in through the forum, Discord, or DSF Slack when a change is significant enough to warrant it.

Approval splits along the same line as the board relationship above. The working group can merge changes to supporting documentation on its own consensus. A change to CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md itself needs the board's sign-off first. That split isn't just written policy, it's enforced mechanically by a two-line CODEOWNERS file:

* @django/coc-committee
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md @django/coc-committee @django/dsf-board

Every file in the repo requires the working group's review. CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md additionally requires the board's. GitHub won't merge a PR touching that one file without both. If you're setting up something similar, this is worth copying directly: two lines, and your governance policy becomes something GitHub enforces instead of something people are trusted to remember.

Additionally, we require a 30-day public comment period for all PRs that aren't administrative (fixing typos, updating membership lists, changelog updates, etc.). The working group can merge a PR after 30 days even if nobody comments, but if anyone does, the discussion has to be resolved before merging. This is the mechanism that makes the process public and transparent. It doesn't require anyone to read every comment, but it does require the working group to respond to them. You can use our workflow to enforce that for your project as well. There's two settings BYPASS_LABEL and MIN_AGE_DAYS to tweak the behavior, but the defaults are a 30-day wait and an expedited label that lets the working group skip it for administrative changes.

Once something merges, it gets announced on the blog, forum, social, whatever's appropriate for the size of the change, with a summary, the rationale, and links to what actually changed. updates.md even keeps its own tiny changelog at the bottom, tracking edits to the process document itself, separate from changes to the Code of Conduct. The governance model applies to itself.

Turning a rewrite into a project plan

Two weeks after updates.md landed, issue #74, "Adopt Contributor Covenant 3," opened and immediately spawned fifteen sub-issues (#75 through #89). Each one was a discrete deliverable: rewrite the Enforcement Manual, rewrite the Reporting Guidelines, rewrite the FAQs, rewrite the CoC text itself, sync all of it to djangoproject.com, then announce it, separately, on the Django blog, the forum, Discord, DSF Slack, and Reddit. A rewrite this size doesn't happen as one PR. It happens as a checklist of small, assignable, individually reviewable pieces.

The actual pull requests show how messy that still is in practice. PR #90 opened February 10 and closed the same day, unmerged. A first attempt at the policy rewrite that didn't pan out. PR #91, opened minutes later, was the one that actually worked: +1,475/-790 lines, merged five weeks later on March 16. PR #97 closed the loop on April 15 with a comparatively small +217/-90, formally adopting Contributor Covenant 3. Start to finish, from PR #68 (which first brought these docs into git for change tracking, back on January 10) to PR #97 merging, the whole rewrite took about three months. Most of which was us allowing time for the community to read, comment, and ask questions. The actual work was a few days of writing and reviewing.

The paper trail that replaces "trust us"

The same PR that added updates.md also added a GitHub Action that regenerates CHANGELOG.md automatically on merge. It's not a list of diffs. It's a list of decisions, in plain language, with the reasoning attached. One real entry from the April 15 rewrite:

📝 remove weapons policy since we don't host in-person events directly. this makes more sense as guidance for affiliated events so I'll move it there in the process-docs PR

That's a documented reason for a scope decision, sitting in a public file anyone can read without asking. Multiply that by every entry in the changelog and that's the actual mechanism behind "trust us" becoming "here's the commit history." Not a promise, a habit, enforced by a bot that runs on every merge whether anyone remembers to update the changelog by hand or not.

Our GitHub Action expects a script to be at scripts/update_changelog.sh in the repo. View ours at https://github.com/django/code-of-conduct/blob/main/scripts/update_changelog.sh

What happens after a report comes in

The process above covers how the document changes. Reports of actual violations run through a separate mechanism, described in full in the working group manual and the reporting guide.

Every report lands in one inbox, conduct@djangoproject.com, which fans out to the whole working group. The goal is acknowledgment within a day and an initial response within a week, though the manual is upfront that volunteer coordination sometimes takes longer than that. A decision on next steps needs at least two working group members to agree. Anything severe enough to warrant legal advice needs a majority. Outcomes run up the enforcement ladder: private warning, 30 to 90 day suspension, 90-plus day suspension, permanent ban. Lower rungs get skipped when severity calls for it.

The record-keeping is worth copying too. Every case gets a randomly generated code name, things like "home shelf" or "stunned bulb." Every reported person gets their own persistent code name, like "Person A" or "Blue Jay," so the working group can track repeat patterns across cases without a real name ever touching the primary tracking sheet. A second spreadsheet, access-restricted separately from the first, holds the only mapping from code names back to real identities. Most of the working group can discuss a case, even in public, without either of them knowing who it's actually about.

The code name generator

Those code names come from a small Google Apps Script bound to the tracking spreadsheet, not a service or a library where we're sending sensitive data off to a third party. To install it, open the spreadsheet, go to Extensions > Apps Script, paste the script into Code.gs, and save. Reload the spreadsheet and a "Django CoC" menu shows up next to the built-in ones.

To use it, select the cell where you want a code name and click Django CoC > Generate Code Name. It picks one adjective and one noun at random from two 100-word lists, joins them with a hyphen, and drops the result into the active cell (something like amber-anchor). If the cell already has a value, it asks before overwriting.

Record keeping spreadsheets

The record-keeping actually lives across three separate spreadsheets, each with a different level of access.

The Report Tracker is the working record. One row per case, using code names instead of real identities, with columns for status, resolution source, safety risk, and consequences. The code name generator menu lives on this sheet.

The Person Identity Key is a second, more restricted spreadsheet. It's the only place that maps a code name back to a real name, and it tracks report counts and the highest consequence recorded against that person across cases. Access to it can be limited to a smaller subset of the working group than the Report Tracker itself, so members handling a case can look for patterns without necessarily knowing who they're looking at.

The Public Tracker doesn't touch either of those directly. It pulls a single "Annual Stats" tab out of the Report Tracker with IMPORTRANGE, aggregate counts only (reports, people named, warnings, suspensions, bans, and so on), nothing case-level. That's the sheet behind the statistics Django publishes publicly.

Borrow honestly

None of this was invented from scratch, and the working group says so directly. sources.md traces the lineage: the Ada Initiative's anti-harassment policy, through PyCon 2013, into Contributor Covenant. The 2026 rewrite additionally drew on published enforcement materials from the Python Software Foundation, OpenJS Foundation, and Mozilla, each one cited with the specific license it was borrowed under. Django's own materials are released under CC BY 3.0 for the same reason, so the next community doesn't have to start from a blank page either.

Proof it's still running

The process didn't stop being used the moment PR #97 merged. PR #106 added Djangonaut Space as an affiliated program in May. PR #108 added Django Commons in July. Both went through the same lightweight path described in affiliated-programs.md: adopt a complementary CoC, name a point of contact, publish transparency reports at least annually. This wasn't a one-time project. It's infrastructure now, and it's still picking up new communities.

If you want to fork this

Start with updates.md and the issue template it depends on. That's the whole meta-process in about a hundred lines. Copy the CODEOWNERS pattern if you have anything resembling a board or steering committee that should have a harder veto than your day-to-day maintainers. Read the working group manual end to end before you build a report-handling process from scratch, most of the hard judgment calls are already made in there.

And if you want the record-keeping spreadsheets as actual templates instead of a description, here they are, cleaned of real data and history. Each link opens a "Make a copy" prompt instead of our live copy, so you get your own independent version:

1. Report Tracker, the case-by-case log with the code name generator built in
2. Person Identity Key, the restricted sheet mapping code names back to real names
3. Public Tracker, which pulls the Annual Stats tab out of the Report Tracker via IMPORTRANGE for anything you publish externally

Copying doesn't rewire them to each other. The IMPORTRANGE formula in your copy of the Public Tracker will still point at our Report Tracker, not yours, since Sheets copies the formula text as-is. After you copy both, open the Public Tracker, find the IMPORTRANGE formula on the Annual Stats tab, and replace our spreadsheet URL with the URL of your own copy of the Report Tracker. The first time it runs against the new URL, Sheets will show a #REF! error with an "Allow access" link. Click it once and the formula resolves.

A Code of Conduct is an exercise in trust. The processes and mechanics we've put in place are designed to make that trust verifiable, not just assumed. If you want to borrow them, please do. If you have improvements, please share them! We're available on email at conduct@djangoproject.com or open an issue against the working group repo and we'll respond.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-24 11:38:29

Criminal Deception in Silicon Valley

Interesting paper:

Abstract: With entrepreneurial fraud cases on the rise, we investigate how entrepreneurs carry out criminal deception, employing deceptive means to defraud audiences. Analyzing court data from Silicon Valley ventures and their founders prosecuted for fraud between 2000 and 2023, our findings reveal that entrepreneurs carry out criminal deception through a process of façading: Entrepreneurs construct, perform, and protect illusory appearances (façades) that externally project high-growth performance to audiences while masking ventures’ actual underperformance. We identify three forms of façading—­surface, reinforced, and deep façading­—that are contingent on the severity of the gap that entrepreneurs face between audiences’ performance expectations and ventures’ performance reality. Our theoretical framework captures how entrepreneurs facing minor, wide, and extreme expectation-reality gaps engage in evermore sophisticated efforts to detach the venture’s externally projected appearance from its actual operational reality. Practically, we propose several approaches to deter and detect criminal deception, including the extension of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission surveillance and whistleblower program, investor due diligence reform, and dedicated entrepreneurship education interventions that clearly demarcate when entrepreneurs transgress into criminal deception. We make contributions to literatures on cultural entrepreneurship, organizational wrongdoing, and the social effects of entrepreneurship. ...

From Odd Lots at 2026-08-24 09:00:00

The Nigerian Industrial Behemoth That Could Reshape the African Economy (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

Earlier in August, it was reported that Nigeria's Dangote Refinery secured a $1 billion underwriting for its upcoming stock market listing, which is set to become Africa's largest IPO. Indeed, the whole the continent has seen lots of economic growth in the last few years: According to the United Nations, growth across Africa was expected to reach 4.0% in 2026. The history of economic development on the continent is a vexed one; access to critical resources, whether its minerals or petrochemicals, has not always equated to improved economic conditions. To understand what is going on in Africa, we talk to Joe Studwell, the author of How Africa Works: Success and Failure on the World's Last Developmental Frontier. The product of a decade of reporting, Studwell's book argues that African countries, in many instances, have failed to adopt development strategies (an industrial policy that favors export manufacturing for instance) that mirror Asian counterparts. And while development has been uneven, Studwell is optimistic that the seeds of sustained development are increasingly taking root, at least in some countries. We speak to Studwell about the Dangote IPO, why development has historically been so difficult, Rwanda's dreams of becoming Africa's Singapore, and why Lagos is one of the most impressive cities in the world.

Read more:
Dangote Offers East Africa Nations 30% Stake in New Refinery
T. Rowe Price Says Nigeria Attractive Even After 64% Stock Rally

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From The Rest Is History at 2026-08-24 00:05:00

699. The Troubles: Return of the IRA (Part 3) (GLT9519811642.mp3)

What was the Provisional IRA, and why did they return to the fray at the high point of The Troubles in Northern Ireland? How did a series of bloody battles, including  the Short Strand Battle, brutally intensify tensions between the British Army and Catholic communities? And, how did the conflict spiral into attacks on civilians…? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss the violent escalation of The Troubles. *The Rest Is History LIVE: The Ultimate Victorian Adventure* The maddest expedition in history and it’s NEVER been heard before on the show: join Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook LIVE at the Southbank as they tell the bonkers story of Queen Victoria ordering one of history’s most daring assignments ever. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tickets available for Friday 4th September⁠⁠⁠⁠, the Saturday show is SOLD OUT. _______ 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 Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-23 08:00:00

‘Bloodbath’: Why Trump could lose the House over the Iran war (media.mp3)

As the Strait of Hormuz closure pushes US petrol prices past $4 a gallon and Donald Trump’s approval ratings hit rock bottom, the Republicans are increasingly worried the Iran war could create a “bloodbath” in the midterms. 

In this bonus episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by chief Washington correspondent Connor Stringer to look at five ways the Middle East conflict is actively reshaping domestic US politics, from the economy to splits in the Democrats and Republicans to record spending pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC. Could Trump lose the House of Representatives because of the war?

Plus, how the November US midterm elections work, what’s a Super PAC, and the key primary races you need to know about. 

Highlights

• Why Trump could lose the House over the Iran war
• ‘It could be a bloodbath for the Republicans’

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Connor Stringer, chief Washington correspondent @connorstringer

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Joleen Goffin and David Dargahi

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 More or Less at 2026-08-22 06:00:00

How much of the world isn’t owned by anyone? (p0p2yqx6.mp3)

Sometimes world events of massive practical significance lead our minds towards some lovely impractical thoughts. So it was for loyal listener, Nigel.

Pondering the conflict in Iran, and the maritime ownership of the Straits of Hormuz that has become its focus, his mind wandered to an altogether bigger and - honestly - far less important question.

“How much of the world surface actually doesn't belong to anyone?” he wondered.

To try and answer Nigel’s question, we enlisted the help of Mark Cooper-Jones, one half of YouTube duo Map Men.

If you’ve seen a number in the news that you think we should take a look at, or have a interesting statistical question like Nigel, get in touch: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Lizzy McNeill Producer: Josh McMinn Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2026-08-22 00:11:49

Collections: Pre-Modern Armies for Worldbuilders, Part Vb: Pixel Armies for Pixel Societies

This is the second half of the final part (I, IIa, IIb, III, IVa, IVb, Va, Vb) of our apparently five-part series laying out some general guidelines for how pre-modern armies are organized, with fictional worldbuilding and historical patterns in mind. Last time we started checking some fictional militaries against the general patterns we’ve laid … Continue reading Collections: Pre-Modern Armies for Worldbuilders, Part Vb: Pixel Armies for Pixel Societies →

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-21 22:07:20

Friday Squid Blogging: Neon Flying Squid

The neon flying squid can fly in formation.

The shoal of about 100 squid rose unexpectedly from a patch of the Pacific Ocean around 370 miles from Tokyo and glided near the boat for about 30 metres. The astonished researchers were the first to capture photographs of such a thing, which looked like the early stages of an alien invasion.

They were probably neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii), the subsequent study states, a species that is part of a 20-strong flying squid family that was known to leap from the water but, until then, was only rumoured to also be able to glide above it...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2026-08-21 18:00:00

831: What Is Even Bolivia? (ea96f60d-f62f-4f94-8f53-ac7cdb17e779.mp3)

Our Summer of Sundance kicks off with Sundance himself, as we travel back to the end of the old west (and, later, to the garden spot of Bolivia) to visit a couple of robbers, their lady friend, and their not-very-important gang with “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Did they use enough dynamite? Is Woodcock a little too loyal to his employer? What does it say about the old west when a call for a posse is hijacked by a bicycle salesman?...

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-21 17:51:50

AI Is Learning to Write Genetic Code

This sort of research is both exciting and terrifying:

The two models in question were told to generate complete genomes for a viable bacteriophage—a type of virus able to infect and replicate itself inside bacteria, destroying them from the inside.

Using an existing bacteriophage as an example—ΦX174 (pronounced “fie-ex-1-7-4”), known for its ability to infect and destroy E. coli bacteria—the models generated about 700,000 potential designs, of which the researchers picked 285 that looked most promising.

The researchers then synthesised new DNA molecules using those designs and inserted them into E. coli bacteria, before waiting to see if viable bacteriophages would emerge...

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-21 17:17:34

‘No way out’: How Trump trapped US in Iran war as world stands by (media.mp3)

‘If there were a university delivering degrees in strategic malpractice, Donald Trump would without a doubt graduate summa cum laude.’

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Roland Oliphant gets a damning assessment of the US-Iran war from one of America’s most seasoned Middle East diplomats, Aaron David Miller. A former State Department analyst and negotiator across six Republican and Democratic administrations and now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Miller delivers a blunt verdict on Washington’s strategic failures. 

As the Middle East conflict hits the six-month mark and the Strait of Hormuz remains officially closed, he explains why he can see no clear exit options for Trump. Despite Washington unleashing an "economic D-Day" and the "toughest sanctions in history," Tehran shows no sign of backing down. 

Plus, why Secretary of State Marco Rubio is MIA and how a “serious retrenchment” of US forces in the Gulf is likely, amid news that some bases may not be fully rebuilt after the war. 

Highlights

• ‘Trump would graduate summa cum laude in strategic malpractice'
• Veteran US diplomat Aaron David Miller on the US-Iran war 

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace @aarondmiller2

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: David Dargahi 

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 2026-08-21 14:11:35

Waymo doubles spending on lobbying in robotaxi battle with Uber

Alphabet-owned company is seeking to persuade US regulators to clear a path for fully autonomous taxi services.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-21 10:42:34

More Incidents of AIs Going Rogue in Cybersecurity Challenges

The AI Security Institute has a new report of AI systems engaging in “unsanctioned behavior”—what I have been calling “genie behavior—while being tested on their cybersecurity capabilities.

The incident stemmed from a single evaluation where agents were given a task of solving a cyber security challenge. We ran this challenge 122 times across several models. Our investigation found that in 10 of those runs, an AI agent took autonomous, unsanctioned action on the live internet, targeting real people and organisations. In total, we catalogued 19 such actions. Almost all of this behaviour (17 actions) came from a single model, Anthropic’s Mythos 5, with 2 actions involving OpenAI’s GPT-5.6-Sol with cyber classifiers (mechanisms to prevent misuse) disabled. In the most serious case, an agent tried to insert malicious code into an open-source project. In an attempt to get the code approved, the agent engaged in social engineering—creating fake online identities and using them to pressure the project’s maintainer to approve the code. A human maintainer caught and refused to approve the malicious code...

From School of War at 2026-08-21 10:00:00

When Terrorists Become the Heroes to Young Americans (CBS4733149197.mp3)

In prerevolutionary Russia, it was not uncommon for children to dream of becoming terrorists when they grew up. “It was a respected profession,” says Northwestern University professor Gary Saul Morson, who now sees troubling parallels between modern-day America and an era in Russia when terrorism became fashionable and radicals came to see violence as an expression of moral virtue. Today, Morson joins School of War to discuss what Fyodor Dostoyevsky understood about the terrorist mind, why good people can be persuaded to support terrible acts, and what America loses when it stops teaching the history of communism in schools. 3:09 America and Revolutionary Russia 3:47 The Rise of Modern Terrorism 4:38 When Terrorism Became a Respected Profession 6:10 Why Terrorists Had So Much Power 6:22 Why Russian Liberals Failed to Oppose Terrorism 7:26 The Danger of Celebrating Political Violence 9:36 Dostoevsky’s Radical Youth 11:31 Dostoevsky’s Arrest and Mock Execution 13:15 Understanding the Psychology of Revolutionaries 14:29 How Dostoevsky Predicted Totalitarianism 17:55 Why Communism Was Worse Than the Czars 20:11 Why Liberals Must Oppose Extremism 22:02 The Psychology of Left-Wing Totalitarianism 24:53 What Young People Don’t Know About Communism 28:16 How Good People Come to Support Evil 34:06 What Left and Right-Wing Extremists Have in Common 36:17 How Do We Fight Political Extremism? This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Odd Lots at 2026-08-21 09:00:00

Jasmine Sun on What the AI Industry Got Wrong About the Public Backlash (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

Within the AI industry, even the builders of it have been very anxious about the technology. They've talked for years about its potential to create destabilizing job losses. They even spend a lot of time thinking about rogue AI that could lead to human extinction. But for all their anxiety, they missed the thing that's become the most publicly salient: how upset people would be about building data centers. Part of this was understandable. Data center construction has been happening for a long time in America, and it used to be relatively uncontroversial. In fact, cities and states would often design their tax code to incentivize data center construction. Now there's this complete 180. On this episode, we speak with independent writer and Substacker Jasmine Sun, who recently traveled to Wisconsin and Michigan for some on-the-ground reporting about the communities and activists trying to stop data center development. She explains what the pushback is really all about, what it represents, and what future developers will have to do in order to be welcomed in.

Come see Odd Lots live in Los Angeles, get your tickets now.

Read more:
Anthropic-Tied Data Center Inks $1.3 Billion Private Credit Loan
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to Limit New Data Centers

Only Bloomberg - Business News, Stock Markets, Finance, Breaking & World News 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

Subscribe to the Odd Lots Newsletter
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From The Django weblog at 2026-08-21 03:11:52

DSF Membership Open Space at DjangoCon US

If you are at DjangoCon US this year, join us for 45 minutes to talk about the Django Software Foundation.

• What: Django Software Foundation Membership Open Space
• When: Wednesday, August 26th, 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm
• Where: Wolf Point Ballroom, voco Chicago Downtown
• Schedule: Talks: Wednesday, Aug 26

DSF Board Directors Jeff Triplett, Abigail Afi Gbadago, and Paolo Melchiorre will be there, along with Django Fellows, Steering Council members, and other DSF members. This is an open space, not a talk. Pull up a chair and bring your questions.

What We Want to Talk About

• Fundraising and finances. We raised our 2026 goal to $500,000. We'll cover what it funds, most of it the Django Fellows, and how we are tracking against it. If your company depends on Django, or you know one that does, ask us about corporate membership and sponsorship.
• The Executive Director search. The DSF is hiring its first Executive Director, and applications are open through midnight Central Time on September 14, 2026. If you are thinking about applying, or know someone who should, ask us about the role.
• Membership. How individual membership works, how people become members, and what members do. Members vote in DSF elections, and we would like more of you to.
• Working groups and teams. You don't need to be a DSF member to join a working group, and we could use your help. Teams work a little differently, and we can explain the difference.
• The Steering Council. A short update on DEP 19, which rewrites Django's technical governance, and DEP 20, which moves Django to one feature release a year.

This is your time as much as ours. If you have a question about how the Foundation spends its money, how decisions get made, or why something is the way it is, ask it. We would rather answer a hard question in a room in Chicago than in a thread three weeks from now.

One note on scope: this session is about the Foundation, not about code. We will touch on the DEPs above, but patches, ORM internals, and your favorite ticket belong to the rest of the week.

Who Should Come

Everyone. You do not have to be a DSF member to attend: no sign-in sheet and no membership check at the door.

If you are already an Individual Member, meet the others. If you have been curious about joining, see what you would be joining. And if you use Django at work but have never thought much about the Foundation behind it, that is a fine reason to stop by.

Can't Make It?

Send anything you want raised through the Contact the DSF page, or find us on the Django Forum. We will follow up on anything worth sharing more widely.

See you Wednesday.

From GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics at 2026-08-20 18:49:50

Endless Summer: Iran, Woke Two?, and the George Costanza Theory of War (GoodFellows_2026-08-19_wip03_podcast_aqwen.mp3)

On the latest GoodFellows: Is economic strangulation the key to achieving Iranian cooperation, or another misstep in the Persian Gulf? Is a sequel to “Woke 1” in the works? And does playing the race card in the aftermath of a former Cambridge University professor's suicide make his death even more tragic – and distract from another tragedy: declining academic tragedy? Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-20 18:44:36

Detailed Timeline of OpenAI’s Cyberattack on Hugging Face

OpenAI presented details of its AI’s model’s cyberattack on Hugging Face at Black Hat last week. Simon Willison details the timeline. It’s really interesting to read through—and really impressive cyberoffense work.

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-20 16:20:21

Trump vows 'economic D-Day' as US jets escort oil tankers through Hormuz (media.mp3)

Donald Trump has vowed an ‘economic D-Day’ to crush Iran, amid news that the US military is stealthily getting oil out of the Strait of Hormuz despite Tehran’s attacks. Will US jets escorting tankers stop oil prices from rising further?

In today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Roland Oliphant talks to Matthew Savill, director of Military Sciences at the UK’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), to dissect the reality of Iran’s diminishing maritime leverage in the war, and how effective economic pressure will be on the Iranian regime. 

Plus, Britain’s diminishing minehunting capabilities in the Middle East, why Iran views the UK as the ‘Little Satan’, and what it’s like to be attacked by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. 

Highlights

• Donald Trump vows ‘economic D-Day’ to crush Iran
• US military stealthily getting oil out of the Strait of Hormuz

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Matthew Savill, RUSI director of Military Sciences, @MTSavill

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Trump declares ‘economic D-Day’ against Iran

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/08/20/trump-declares-economic-d-day-iran-sanctions/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: David Dargahi 

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 2026-08-20 14:00:35

Grok exfiltrates user data when malicious instructions are encrypted

Cryptographic Context Injection is only the latest way to break an LLM safety guardrail.

From The Briefing Room at 2026-08-20 12:30:00

How do we prepare for a future water shortage? (p0p5g8mf.mp3)

Did you step outside this morning and feel something odd on your face or neck? Its called rain. We’ve hardly had any this summer and the result was the declaration this month of drought status across two thirds of England and almost all of Wales. The reservoirs are low. And the future looks parched: the government estimates that by 2055, England will face a water shortfall of 5 billion litres a day. To put that in context we currently use 14 billion litres.

Why has this happened and how can we fix it? Other than everyone moving to Scotland.

Step inside The Briefing Room and together we’ll find out.

Guests:

Sir John Armitt, chair of The Public Private Partnership Commission Professor Jim Hall, Professor of Climate and Environmental Risk at Oxford University Dr Heather Smith, Senior Lecturer in Water Governance at Cranfield University

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Bob Howard and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Penny Murphy Sound engineer: James Beard Production co-ordinator: Keshia Agyei

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-20 10:48:55

Police Are Hiding Their Use of Flock Surveillance Cameras

A usage policy for Flock license plate reader cameras tells police not to talk about the cameras:

When cops use Flock to arrest someone in Wapello County, Iowa, they don’t want them to know. A usage policy for the automated license plate reader cameras in the county tells police, in no uncertain terms, to keep them a secret: “DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE,” the policy document reads. “DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE IN YOUR REPORT OR COMPLAINT UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.”

This reminds me of IMSI-catchers (Stingray was the most popular) a couple of decades ago. Police would go to even more extremes to hide their usage...

From Odd Lots at 2026-08-20 09:00:00

Nick Bostrom on What Happens if AI Solves All of Our Problems (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

The philosopher Nick Bostrom was one of the first thinkers who mapped out the existential risk of AI. In his 2014 book, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, he delved into various scenarios — like the now-famous “paperclip maximizer” — to show the dangers that unfettered and highly intelligent AI posed to humans. A decade later, in Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World, he looked at the other side of the AI coin, and theorizes what human experience might look like if AI is capable of solving all of our problems. What happens if AI and robots can literally do every single thing better than humans can? How would we find any meaning or satisfaction from life? On this episode, he speaks to us about the two divergent ways of understanding AI's future, what we might do, and what we can do right now to improve the chances that AI actually improves our lives.

Read more:
Tech Deploys Charm Offensive to Combat AI Data Center Backlash
Young Americans Become More Hostile to AI, Fearing Job Losses

Only Bloomberg - Business News, Stock Markets, Finance, Breaking & World News 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

Subscribe to the Odd Lots Newsletter
Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics at 2026-08-20 09:00:00

Hypatia (p0p4kzmw.mp3)

The Greek mathematician and philosopher has vanished from history because she was a woman. Natalie reveals the evidence of her brilliance in 4th century Alexandria and openly envies her philosopher's cloak. Islam Issa and Adam Rutherford join to tell her story.

'Rockstar mythologist' Natalie Haynes is the best-selling author of Divine Might, Stone Blind, A Thousand Ships and No Friend to This House as well as a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about ancient Greece and Rome.

Islam Issa is Professor of Public Humanities at Birmingham City University. His book Alexandria: The City that Changed the World is the Winner of the Runciman Award and The Times, Sunday Times, TLS, Booklist, Epoch Times and Waterstones Book of the Year.

Dr Adam Rutherford is a scientist, writer and broadcaster. He's a Lecturer in Biology and Society at UCL.

Producer Beth O'Dea

From The Rest Is History at 2026-08-20 00:05:00

698. The Troubles: The Brink of Civil War (Part 2) (GLT2308408988.mp3)

Why did the violence of the Troubles escalate as it did in Ulster? How did a series of marches from Belfast to Derry in 1969 result in terrible violence, and heighten the conflict? And, which terrible events saw the British army cross the border to intervene? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss the next tumultuous stage of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.  *The Rest Is History LIVE: The Ultimate Victorian Adventure* The maddest expedition in history and it’s NEVER been heard before on the show: join Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook LIVE at the Southbank as they tell the bonkers story of Queen Victoria ordering one of history’s most daring assignments ever. ⁠⁠⁠Tickets available for Friday 4th September⁠⁠⁠, the Saturday show is SOLD OUT. _______ 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 Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-19 17:32:00

UAE cuts Iran’s economic lifeline after ‘ballistic missile strikes’ (media.mp3)

The UAE has dealt Iran a major blow by cutting off trade ties after accusing Tehran of firing two ballistic missiles towards the Gulf state. The missiles eventually landed outside territorial waters, but Abu Dhabi’s swift response could close down Iran’s key economic escape route.

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Sophia Yan unpacks the latest news from the Middle East war with Mahsa Alimardani, associate director of Technology Threats & Opportunities program at digital human rights group WITNESS. They discuss Iran’s state-backed cyber attacks against the West, how the Internet blackout has affected Iran’s economy and the unsophisticated AI around Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

Plus, a new Iranian draft law that would criminalise speaking to foreign media, and news reports that Iran is assessing potential strikes against US military assets in Europe.

Highlights

• UAE cuts Iran’s economic lifeline after ‘ballistic missile strikes’
• How the Internet blackout has affected Iran’s economy

CHAPTERS

00:00:00 - UAE Imposes Trade Embargo Following Iranian Missile Attack

00:01:11 - Trump Denies Iran Talks as Hormuz Blockade Escalates

00:03:06 - Ground Reality: 90 Million Iranians Face Internal Warfare

00:06:04 - Khamenei Disappears: AI Deepfakes Fuel Regime Crisis

00:08:58 - US-Israel-Iran Conflict Drives Unprecedented AI Information War

00:11:50 - Regime Weapons-Grade Propaganda Targets US Political Divide

00:14:15 - White SIM Cards: How Elite Insiders Profit Off Internet Blackouts

00:22:27 - US DOJ Charges 17 Iranian Hackers Over Mass Cyber Theft

00:24:57 - Tehran Criminalizes Media Contact Under Zionist Law

00:33:50 - Regime Insider Warning: Iran Prepares Strikes on US Bases in Europe

CONTRIBUTORS:

Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

Mahsa Alimardani, associate director of Technology Threats & Opportunities program at WITNESS @mahsaalimardani

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

US-Iran talks have stopped, says Trump

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/08/18/us-iran-talks-have-stopped-says-trump/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: David Dargahi

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 2026-08-19 11:46:37

ICE Collecting DNA Samples

ICE collected nearly a million DNA samples last year.

From Emperors of Rome at 2026-08-19 08:33:24

The Young Warlord (260819-augustus03.mp3)

The decade after Caesar's murder is make or break for Octavian. He is very young and inexperienced, he is often between Mark Antony and the senate, and he needs to avenge Caesar and become his acknowledged heir. Despite these challenges he is slowly setting the stage for breaking the Roman republic.

Support Emperors of Rome on Patreon: patreon.com/romepodcast

Episode CCLVIII (259)

Guest: Dr Rhiannon Evans

From Ancient History 101 at 2026-08-19 05:00:00

Vercingetorix (media.mp3)

An enemy of Rome with a big reputation, but who made some very questionable decisions... Talking about Vercingetorix today is guest expert and archaeologist Zoé Elise Thomas, who knows Gaul like the back of her hand.

For images, maps and a transcript, visit the episode page

Make sure to click ‘subscribe’ so that you never miss an episode; we have a new topic every Wednesday!

Find Ancient History 101 on social media and our website, where you can learn more about our expert guests.

We have merch available at our RedBubble shop, or you can help support the podcast by buying history books and translations we’ve hand-chosen for you at our online bookshop in the USA or UK.

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From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-18 15:30:00

Iran strikes ship in Strait of Hormuz after Trump threatens to bomb Oman (media.mp3)

Iran has attacked another vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after Donald Trump threatened to bomb US ally Oman if it “gets in the way” of comatose US negotiations with Tehran.

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by chief Washington correspondent Connor Stringer to discuss Trump’s escalating frustration over the lack of a Strait of Hormuz deal and why he is hoping Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent might have a solution to the war as oil prices start to rise again. 

Plus, a secret backchannel between Washington and the IRGC via Iraqi Kurdistan, why Trump hasn’t endorsed Netanyahu ahead of the Israeli election, and Yemen’s government fights back against Iranian proxy group the Houthis. 

Highlights

• One casualty after Iran strikes ship in Strait of Hormuz
• Trump threatens to bomb Oman for ‘misbehaving’

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Connor Stringer, chief Washington correspondent @connorstringer

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Trump threatens to bomb Oman over Iran deal

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/17/trump-threatens-to-bomb-oman-over-iran-deal/ 

Trump orders Bessent to cripple Iran’s economy

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/08/12/trump-scott-bessent-end-iran-war/

Ukraine: the Latest: https://linktr.ee/UkraineTheLatest

Axios: Inside Trump's secret backchannel to Iran's Revolutionary Guard

https://www.axios.com/2026/08/16/iran-backchannel-trump-gabbard-barzani-war

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Joleen Goffin 

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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-us-war/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-18 14:00:04

Microsoft Copilot reveals secret input that allowed it to be hacked

Secret parameter allowed hackers to steal passwords when a target clicked on a link.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-18 11:40:16

LLMs and Contextual Integrity

I have been thinking a lot about AI and integrity. Part of that is contextual integrity. I recently found two papers on the topic.

“CIMemories: A Compositional Benchmark for Contextual Integrity of Persistent Memory in LLMs“:

Abstract: Large Language Models (LLMs) increasingly use persistent memory from past interactions to enhance personalization and task performance. However, this memory introduces critical risks when sensitive information is revealed in inappropriate contexts. We present CIMemories, a benchmark for evaluating whether LLMs appropriately control information flow from memory based on task context. CIMemories uses synthetic user profiles with over 100 attributes per user, paired with diverse task contexts in which each attribute may be essential for some tasks but inappropriate for others. Our evaluation reveals that frontier models exhibit up to 69% attribute-level violations (leaking information inappropriately), with lower violation rates often coming at the cost of task utility. Violations accumulate across both tasks and runs: as usage increases from 1 to 40 tasks, GPT-5’s violations rise from 0.1% to 9.6%, reaching 25.1% when the same prompt is executed 5 times, revealing arbitrary and unstable behavior in which models leak different attributes for identical prompts. Privacy-conscious prompting does not solve this—models overgeneralize, sharing everything or nothing rather than making nuanced, context-dependent decisions. These findings reveal fundamental limitations that require contextually aware reasoning capabilities, not just better prompting or scaling...

From School of War at 2026-08-18 10:00:00

Senator McCormick Thinks That America’s Military Is Stuck in the Past (CBS5651832069.mp3)

Pennsylvania senator Dave McCormick, a West Point graduate, Desert Storm veteran, and former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, is concerned about America’s wealth gap, which he says is approaching “a version of capitalism I don’t think we want.” Today, McCormick joins School of War for a candid conversation about why the right needs a better answer to socialism, lessons in modern warfare from his recent closed-door meeting with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, and why he regrets his 2002 LA Times op-ed supporting the Iraq War: “I was completely wrong.” 02:01 — From Desert Storm to Princeton 05:05 — Nine Months Traveling the World 06:58 — The “End of History” and the Return of Socialism 08:00 — Can America Remain the World’s Superpower? 09:47 — Is the U.S. Military Stuck in the Past? 12:27 — What Ukraine Is Teaching America About Modern Warfare 13:41 — Rebuilding America’s Defense Industrial Base 17:15 — America’s AI Race With China 22:56 — How AI Will Transform American Jobs 24:03 — Wealth Inequality and the Future of Capitalism 25:56 — Why Socialism Is Appealing to Young Americans 30:52 — The Fight Over AI Data Centers 35:05 — Iran and the Future of the Middle East 41:17 — McCormick: “I Was Completely Wrong” About Iraq 44:08 — Balancing Iran With the Threat From China This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Uncommon Knowledge at 2026-08-17 20:00:00

The Lapsed Atheist: Charles Murray Makes the Case for God (UK_Charles_Murray_wip02_podcast_9cwpy.mp3)

For most of his life, Charles Murray was a casual agnostic who assumed smart people had left religion behind. Now he’s not so sure. Murray joins Peter Robinson to discuss the evidence that forced him to reconsider God, the soul, and Christianity—from near-death experiences and the mysterious Shroud of Turin to the historical reliability of the Gospels and the Resurrection. It’s the story of an empirically minded skeptic following the evidence wherever it leads—and discovering that faith may be far more reasonable than he once believed. Subscribe to Uncommon Knowledge at hoover.org/uk

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-17 17:31:25

Trump ‘weighing nuclear attack on Iran’ as peace deal expires (media.mp3)

As the US-Iran ceasefire officially expires and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, is Donald Trump considering using nuclear weapons to break the war stalemate? 

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant discuss why US politician Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bizarre nuclear claim may be less crazy than it first appears and how an underground nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain could be the potential target. They also look at the state of the war 60 days on from the ill-fated Memorandum of Understanding peace deal and why Iran is more bullish than ever. 

Meanwhile, US envoy Jared Kushner is in Israel to talk to Benjamin Netanyahu about Trump’s Gaza peace deal after meeting with Hamas’ leader in Egypt. Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin in the West Bank explains why and discusses his dispatch from the West Bank amid a rise in military operations and settler “terrorism”.  

Plus, Iran’s missing pilots, the Houthis strike again in the Red Sea and why the Iran war has prompted Trump to scale back key US-South Korea military drills.

Highlights

• US ‘weighing nuclear attack on Iran’, claims Marjorie Taylor Greene 
• Why Trump has scaled back key US-South Korea military drills

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem correspondent @HenryBodkin

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

The beaten and bruised ‘political pawns’ caught up in Israel’s election

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/17/beaten-and-bruised-political-pawns-israeli-election/

Israeli settlers in West Bank siege are terrorists, US says

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/14/us-denounces-israeli-settlers-as-terrorists-west-bank-siege/

Israeli army surrounds last Christian town in West Bank

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/12/israeli-army-surrounds-last-christian-town-in-west-bank/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Audio Producer: Joleen Goffin

Video Producer: Max Bower and Elliott Daly 

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 2026-08-17 15:22:54

Nvidia discloses $21B stake in SpaceX

Filing comes after Elon Musk announced exclusive arrangement to kit out its data centers.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-17 12:18:03

Hacking Public Wi-Fi DNS to Steal Credentials

Criminals are hacking into public Wi-Fi devices—at hotels, conference centers, and so on—around the world and changing their DNS settings. The goal is to redirect users to fake login pages and steal their credentials.

From Odd Lots at 2026-08-17 09:00:00

What the OpenAI-Hugging Face Hack Really Tells Us About AI Danger (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

Scenarios that used to be the domain of sci-fi writers are coming true. We have machines that can talk. We have machines that are capable of ignoring the intent of their creators. And we have machines that are capable of planning and coordinating with other machines to deceive their creators. All of this came together last month, when it was revealed that an unreleased OpenAI model had hacked into the Hugging Face platform in order to obtain answers to an exam it was given. That was alarming enough, but the details that have emerged since then have been even more remarkable. On this episode, we speak with Miles Brundage, a former OpenAI employee who is the founder and executive director of the non-profit AVERI, which pushes for third-party auditing of model-makers and the models themselves. He explains what he learned from the attack and discusses what can plausibly be done to continue building out these models in a safe manner.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From The Rest Is History at 2026-08-17 00:05:00

697. The Troubles: Murder in Belfast (Part 1) (GLT4877520736.mp3)

How did the Troubles break out in Northern Ireland in the 1960s, and how far back does the dispute really go? Why did the conflict intensify as it did? And, what did it really mean to be a Catholic in Northern Ireland?  Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss one of the darkest and most contentious periods of British history: The Troubles.  *The Rest Is History LIVE: The Ultimate Victorian Adventure* The maddest expedition in history and it’s NEVER been heard before on the show: join Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook LIVE at the Southbank as they tell the bonkers story of Queen Victoria ordering one of history’s most daring assignments ever. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tickets available for Friday 4th September⁠⁠⁠⁠, the Saturday show is SOLD OUT. 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 Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-16 08:00:00

Strait of Hormuz oil spills, power outages and black rain: Iran’s escalating war damage (media.mp3)

The US-Israel-Iran war has led to black rain and oil spills in the Strait of Hormuz - is the country facing an environmental crisis because of Donald Trump?

In this weekend bonus edition of Iran: The Latest, Roland Oliphant speaks with Kaveh Madani, the award-winning director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and also an exiled Iranian politician. They examine the live impact on the ground of the conflict, from power outages to water shortages. 

Plus, Tehran was on the brink of being evacuated due to a major drought last year, so what happened? Kaveh explains how Iran narrowly escaped a major catastrophe and the wild war-related conspiracy theories going around to explain it. 

Highlights

• Iran faces Strait of Hormuz oil spills, power outages and black rain
• The escalating war damage to the Iranian environment

CONTRIBUTORS:

Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphant

Kaveh Madani, director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health @KavehMadani

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Listen to the previous interview with Kaveh Madani: ‘Worse than war with Israel’: Why Iran’s regime is on edge

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/10/worse-than-war-with-israel-why-irans-regime-is-on-edge/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Producer: Max Bower

Video Producer: Peter Shevlin

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson and Chris January

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 More or Less at 2026-08-15 06:00:00

14 million deaths or zero deaths? The impact of the USAID cuts (p0p4k4jn.mp3)

As part of their mandate to stop 'waste, fraud and abuse' in federal government spending, DOGE, the department of Government Efficiency, made large cuts to the amount of money the US spent on foreign aid.

The task force, headed by Elon Musk, effectively dismantled the US's largest foreign aid agency, USAID - cancelling many of its programmes and absorbing the remainder into the State Department.

This has caused controversy in some circles, with researchers estimating that the cuts could result in the loss of 14 million lives by 2030. Musk strenuously denies this, stating that cuts made by DOGE has resulted in 'zero' deaths.

But who is right, and what are the problems with these sorts of estimates? We speak to Dr Hannah Ritchie to find out more.

If you see numbers that you want us to look into contact moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter/Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Editor: Richard Vadon Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Neil Churchill

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-14 22:01:49

Friday Squid Blogging: Searching for the Colossal Squid

Fascinating video about searching for life undersea. The video basically makes the point that our bright white searchlights are scaring everything away, and that red light is more neutral. That, plus bait to attract sea creatures, is teaching us a lot about what’s going on down there. Lots of footage of giant squid, and speculation about the colossal squid. Worth watching.

As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered.

Blog moderation policy.

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-14 19:32:14

Vulnerability giving attackers full control of Macs is under active exploitation

Screen-sharing bug lets remote hackers log in without a password.

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-14 18:03:54

PBS station fears losing 50TB of data after being ghosted by cloud storage provider

"We don't have access to the data on the hardware/servers," Iron Mountain told Ars.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-14 17:01:59

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

This is a current list of where and when I am scheduled to speak:

• I’m speaking, signing books, and participating in panel discussions at LAcon V in Anaheim, California, USA. My full schedule is here.
• I’m speaking online (via Zoom) at a League of Women Voters event on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 5 PM ET.
• I’m speaking at Elevate Festival in Toronto, Canada. The conference runs September 22–24, 2026; my talk is on Wednesday, September 23.
• I’m speaking at CanSecWest 2026 in Vancouver, Canada. The conference runs September 30–October 1, 2026; the time of my talk is TBD...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2026-08-14 17:00:00

830: Sad Man in a Van (62c66621-bef4-44b1-8ef5-ed9d64d536a3.mp3)

Buy some flowers and get ready to profess your feelings—we’re here to talk about “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” in which Tom Holland’s Peter gets to be a sad sack who is saving New York while his personal life has fallen completely apart. There are surprising character reveals, unsurprising character twists (well, at least Peter was surprised), interesting guest-star choices, and a lot of themes involving the dangers of letting yourself become isolated....

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-14 16:41:03

US vows indefinite blockade & how China became Iran’s 'ventilator' (media.mp3)

The US has deployed a fresh aircraft carrier to the Middle East, vowing an "indefinite" naval blockade of Iran until the Strait of Hormuz is reopened - but China has other ideas. 

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Sophia Yan speaks with Alicia Kearns MP, shadow minister for national security and former chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Fresh from a trip into the heart of the Pentagon, she explains how Iran's regime is withstanding the pressure of the war thanks to financial and technological assistance from Beijing. 

Plus, the “active and pernicious” Iranian intelligence service you’ve never heard of, why Donald Trump is guilty of historical revisionism when it comes to Nato, and whether the US is ready for the growing risk of a three-theatre conflict involving China and Taiwan.

HIGHLIGHTS

• US deploys fresh warship and vows indefinite Iran blockade 
• How China is helping Iran win the war against the US

CHAPTERS

00:00 US vows indefinite blockade in Strait of Hormuz

01:55 GOP disquiet inside Pentagon over Trump’s Iran strategy

03:00 Confronting the Pentagon on Trump's NATO revisionism

05:32 The Three-Theater War: Russia, Strait of Hormuz, and Taiwan

08:36 China becomes Iran’s 'ventilator' against US sanctions

11:00 Xi Jinping’s naval show of force in Taiwan Strait

17:50 MOIS: The lethal Iranian intel agency operating in the UK

21:17 How Britain must dismantle Iranian hitmen & propaganda

29:40 Iranian assassination threats against Trump

37:38 Russian shadow fleet tanker explosion off Oman

CONTRIBUTORS:

Sophia Yan, co-host and senior foreign correspondent @sophia_yan

Alicia Kearns, MP and shadow minister for national security @aliciakearns

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Alicia Kearns: Labour must shut down Iranian assets operating in Britain

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/01/labour-must-shut-down-iranian-assets-operating-in-britain/

US navy sailor jumps overboard after 250 days at sea

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/13/us-navy-sailors-jump-overboard-after-nine-months-at-sea/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Producer: Max Bower

Video Producer: Peter Shevlin

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2026-08-14 16:29:32

Fireside Friday, August 14, 2026 (On Financing Pre-Modern Navies)

Hey folks, fireside this week as I get ready for the start of a new semester! For this week, I wanted to talk briefly about the wrinkles that financing navies poses with regards to our worldbuilding primer on pre-modern armies. “what about navies?” has been a frequent question in comments and from patrons. Now a … Continue reading Fireside Friday, August 14, 2026 (On Financing Pre-Modern Navies) →

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-14 15:27:14

OpenAI and Anthropic in price war as Chinese AI rivals gain ground

US groups release cheaper models after new challenges to their trillion-dollar ambitions.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-14 12:03:50

If the Markets Reject OpenAI and Anthropic, the US Should Nationalize Them

This essay was written with Nathan E. Sanders, and originally appeared in The Guardian.

OpenAI, and then Anthropic, were each formed by AI developers who feared unrestrained corporate AI development—specifically, that companies like Google and Meta would steer the technology towards deleterious, maybe even catastrophically unsafe, outcomes for society. Their founders proclaimed that their new labs, uniquely, could be trusted to develop the technology in humanity’s best interest. But each, in turn, were themselves co-opted by the same market incentives, themselves becoming corporate behemoths zealously guarding future investor value rather than the public interest...

From School of War at 2026-08-14 10:00:00

Tanks vs. Drones (CBS4819426357.mp3)

Is the tank obsolete? As drones and precision strikes transform modern battlefields, some have predicted that armored vehicles may soon meet the fate of the cavalry charge. Today on School of War, Colonel Jose A. Reyes and Lieutenant Colonel David “Cam” Smith of the 1st Cavalry Division make the opposite case. Drawing on their experience operating and commanding tanks, they join Aaron MacLean to explain how armored vehicles are adapting to an increasingly drone-centric battlefield—and why the future of warfare may still belong to the cavalry. 3:18 — Reyes and Smith’s Backgrounds 8:40 — The History of Tanks and Maneuver 11:15 — Is the Tank Obsolete? 12:43 — “The Tank Is Alive and Well” 15:17 — Combined Arms at Every Echelon 20:12 — Transforming Armored Warfare 27:02 — The Battlefield Data Problem 30:01 — Ukrainian Innovation and Battlefield Data 33:25 — Electronic Warfare and FPV Drones 38:13 — Cheap Drones and the Cost of Defense 42:44 — Armor and the Problem of Attrition 43:49 — The Future of Unmanned Armor 46:51 — Unmanned Resupply and Medevac 48:25 — Casualty Evacuation in Ukraine 52:16 — What the Army Needs Next This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Odd Lots at 2026-08-14 09:00:00

A Historic El Niño Is Coming That Could Cost the World Trillions (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

Every few years, weather nerds and agriculture analysts will talk about an upcoming El Niño, and then they mostly pass by with relatively few headlines. But sometimes El Niños end up being massively destabilizing -- leading to devastating droughts, flooding, and other catastrophes. And this year's emerging El Niño could end up being one of the big ones, with forecasters predicting record-breaking intensity. But what exactly is an El Niño, and what does it mean that this year's could be so big? On this episode, we speak with Justin Mankin, professor of geography at Dartmouth and director of the Climate Modeling and Impacts Group. We discuss the forecasting of El Niños, and why they can lead to large and long-lasting economic damage.

Read more:
Super El Niño Will Give Us a Glimpse of Life in 2035
Heat Wave and World Cup Hand UK Economy a Surprise Boost

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

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 2026-08-13 20:38:58

White House recruits security firms to hack overseas cybercriminals

Trump memo is first time gov't has authorized private sector to perform cyber attacks.

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-13 16:44:20

China steps in as Iran war drains US oil reserves to 40-year low (media.mp3)

As Donald Trump’s Iran war drags on and hostilities continue in the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea, global energy markets are being reshaped - not by OPEC or the US, but by China. 

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey talks to world economy editor Ambrose Evans-Pritchard about how Beijing has weaponised its internal oil demand to keep oil prices stable and bypass Saudi Arabia, even as US Strategic Petroleum Reserves have plunged to their lowest level since 1983. Why have oil prices remained largely stable and are those figures masking underlying economic turmoil?

Plus: how the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is pushing Iraq to the brink of total economic collapse and the worrying news of a recent Pew Survey measuring attitudes towards the US vs China. 

Highlights

• Iran war drains US strategic petroleum reserves to 40-year low
• How Beijing has kept oil prices stable and bypassed Saudi Arabia

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, world economy editor 

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Trump’s eternal March of Folly on Iran

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/31/trumps-eternal-march-of-folly-on-iran/

Trump targets Iran’s economy as military campaign falters

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/08/12/trump-scott-bessent-end-iran-war/

Iran war threatens to cripple growth, Treasury warns Burnham

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/08/12/iran-war-threatens-to-cripple-growth-treasury-warns-burnham/

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics at 2026-08-13 13:45:00

The Oracle at Delphi (p0p49fyz.mp3)

Natalie, with Michael Scott and Alicia Stallings, offers a helpful guide to using the Oracle to get answers to your life's big questions. You'll need cash and a sign from a goat.

'Rockstar mythologist' Natalie Haynes is the best-selling author of Divine Might, Stone Blind, A Thousand Ships and No Friend to This House as well as a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about ancient Greece and Rome.

Prof Michael Scott is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International affairs and Professor of Classics at the University of Warwick, UK. He is the author of multiple books on Delphi and other ancient Greek and Roman topics, including his most recent Themistocles: The Rise and Fall of Athens's Naval Mastermind, and has presented over 20 documentaries for BBC, ITV, National Geographic and SBS. He is also an honorary citizen of Delphi.

A. E. Stallings (Alicia E. Stallings) is the Oxford Professor of Poetry. She studied Classics at University of Georgia and Oxford, and has published four collections of poetry. She has published three verse translations, Lucretius's The Nature of Things, Hesiod's Works and Days, and an illustrated The Battle Between the Frogs and the Mice.

Producer Beth O'Dea.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-08-13 12:07:19

Separating AI’s Technological Problems from Its Capitalism Problems

This essay was written with Nathan E. Sanders, and originally appeared in Tech Policy Press.

AI represents the first time we humans can do cognitive work outside of our bodies at scale. The only comparable moment is the early years of the industrial revolution, when new technologies like the steam engine provided a quantum leap in our ability to do mechanical work outside of our bodies at scale. If AI’s cognitive capabilities become integrated into our lives, businesses, and governments—a process that will take years if not decades—society will be as unrecognizable as the modern world would be to a preindustrial farmer. And yet, Americans—by a wide margin—...

From Net Assessment at 2026-08-13 11:01:00

The Beginning of the End in the Middle East? (Net_Assessment_-_13_August_2026_v1.mp3?dest-id=808287)

Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate Michael Fuchs's recent article arguing for a U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East. They also discuss the impact of the Iran War and shifting American attitudes towards Israel as well as the Saudi-U.S. nuclear deal and the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani collective defense agreement. Chris commends the Congressional Budget Office's battleship assessment, and Melanie gives credit to CSIS's team for its work on munitions, while Zack laments the Congress giving the executive branch more leeway on tariffs.

*The Net Assessment Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.

Show Links:

• Michael Fuchs, "America Must Let Go of the Middle East," Foreign Affairs, August 8, 2026.

• Matthew Kroenig and Henry Sokolski, "The Saudi Nuclear Deal Invites Disaster," Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2026.

• Daniel Poneman, "Critics of the U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal Have It Exactly Wrong," New York Times, August 6, 2026.

• "Advancing American Safety, Strength, and Prosperity in Southeast Asia," U.S. Mission to ASEAN, July 23, 2026.

• Neil Irwin, "Trump may get a big, new tariff authority," Axios, August 6, 2026.

• "The Navy's New Battleship Program: Costs and Implications for the Shipbuilding Industrial Base, Congressional Budget Office", August 5, 2026.

• Philip E. Auerswald, "The Irrelevance of the Middle East", The American Interest, May 2007

• Justin Logan, "Why the Middle East Still Doesn't Matter", Politico Magazine, October 9, 2014.

• "The U.S.-Saudi Agreement for Civil Nuclear Cooperation: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions", Arms Control Association, August 7, 2026.

• Christopher Preble and Alessandro Perri, "Assumption Testing: The Iran War Is a Case of Alliance Entanglement", Stimson Center, August 3, 2026.

• Christopher Preble and Lucas Ruiz, "In a Nuclear World, Arms Control Is the Only True Deterrent", Inkstick, August 10. 2026.

• Mark Cancian and Chris Park, Six Reasons Why the US is Low on Munitions, CSIS, July 31, 2026.

• CSIS Missile Defense Project

• Alexandra Sharp, The Middle East Tries Its Hand at a NATO-Style Pact, Foreign Policy, August 7, 2026.

• Daniel C. Kurtzer and Aaron David Miller, Trump's Saudi Nuclear Deal is Diplomatic Malpractice, Foreign Policy, July 27, 2026.

• Eric S. Edelman, With the Saudi Deal, Trump Risks Aiding and Abetting a Nuclear Arms Race, The Dispatch, July 28, 2026. 

From Odd Lots at 2026-08-13 09:00:00

Trucking Is Booming Again, And Drivers Aren't Happy About It (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

In the last year, freight companies have seen a significant upturn in the business. Volumes are up. Billing is up. And in addition to growing demand, we've also seen new constraints on the supply side, with the administration cracking down on who is even allowed on the road. As we know, trucking is an especially cyclical industry, but is this current boom structurally different from past booms? Why is it that despite the boom, many of today's drivers are unhappy with the state of the industry? On this episode, we speak with Reed Loustalot, the chief marketing officer at the the Truck Parking Club, a company which aims to help drivers find parking, so that they're not using up valuable road hours just looking for a place to stop for the night. We talk about the crackdown on the supply side of the market, the rise of surveillance, and how a recent Supreme Court ruling could impair capacity even further.

Read more:
Ship Pays $4 Million to Skip Line to Cross Panama Canal
Trucking Stocks Fall on Legal Risk in Worst Month Since Tariffs

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 The Rest Is History at 2026-08-13 00:05:00

696. Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: Killing the Queen of Scots (Part 6) (GLT2334035496.mp3)

How did the Babington Plot, another Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth I and replace her with the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots, unfold? Did the Spanish help her? How did Sir Francis Walsingham and his web of spies foil the plot? And, what would become of Mary once put on trial? Join Tom and Dominic for the dramatic conclusion to their mighty series on the most climatic period of the reign of Elizabeth I, as she faces another assassination attempt, and decides whether to execute her cousin, and a fellow queen… *The Rest Is History LIVE: The Ultimate Victorian Adventure* The maddest expedition in history and it’s NEVER been heard before on the show: join Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook LIVE at the Southbank as they tell the bonkers story of Queen Victoria ordering one of history’s most daring assignments ever. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tickets available for Friday 4th September⁠⁠⁠⁠, the Saturday show is SOLD OUT. Summer sale is here: get an annual membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free listening, every bonus episode, and full access to our exclusive members' series. Sale ends August 31st, so grab it before summer's over. https://therestishistory.com/club?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=summersale26&utm_term=listeners&utm_content=epdescriptionsummer 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 Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-08-12 22:43:21

Terabytes of credentials leaked in massive supply-chain attack

The data was scraped and exfiltrated from 2,500 users of a compromised AI package.

From The Django weblog at 2026-08-12 18:25:24

DSF Office Hours

The DSF Board hosts open office hours every Wednesday at 6:00 PM UTC (check your local time). Anyone in the Django community is welcome to drop in. You do not need an agenda or an invitation. Video call details are on the DSF Office Hours page.

We have been running these since October 2024, and right now we have two things we would especially like to talk with you about.

Who shows up

On any given Wednesday, you might find DSF Board members, Steering Council members, Django Fellows, working group members, and community members who are curious about joining a working group. There is no membership requirement. Anybody from the community can join, and often does.

The Executive Director search

We recently published a call for applicants for a Django Executive Director. If you are considering applying, or you are still deciding whether it is the right fit, come to office hours and ask us anything: what the job actually looks like, what we expect in the first year, how the search works. We would rather answer your questions directly than have you guess from a job posting.

If this is the first you are hearing about the search, please help us spread the word. The best candidate may be someone who has not thought to look.

Fundraising to support it

Hiring an Executive Director is why we raised our 2026 fundraising goal from $300,000 to $500,000, which needs about $16,000 per month in additional recurring support. We have made real progress and are working to close the rest.

If your company uses Django, you can help through corporate sponsorship, a direct donation, or GitHub Sponsors. Most of these are a small lift for a company that already depends on Django. If you want fundraising materials to bring to your leadership team, or help picking the option that fits, come to office hours, and we will get you what you need.

Everything else

Office hours cover plenty beyond that: what our working groups are up to and how to join one, projects the Foundation is working on, and whatever you have been wondering about how the DSF operates. In the weeks before a board meeting, we use the time to gather feedback on what we are about to discuss. If you want the board to hear something, this is a direct line.

One thing office hours are not: a general Django support channel. It is not the place to debug your code or market a product. For coding help, the Django Forum will get you faster answers.

Office hours are the most direct way to keep up with the Foundation, but they are not the only one. We wrote up all the other places we post and where the conversation happens if Wednesdays do not work for you.

Otherwise, put a Wednesday on your calendar and say hello.

From Iran: The Latest at 2026-08-12 15:50:05

Houthis’ first kills in Red Sea & is the Iran war America’s Suez moment? (media.mp3)

The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out their first deadly strikes of the war, killing six mariners in a double-tap ballistic missile attack on a cargo vessel in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, near the Strait of Hormuz, US Navy helicopters have fired Hellfire missiles to disable a ship breaking Donald Trump’s blockade.

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by veteran British Army officer Tim Collins, famous for his ‘tread lightly’ speech prior to leading British troops into Iraq in 2003 (and dramatised by Kenneth Branagh in the 2008 BBC series 10 Days to War). Just back from a trip to Bahrain, Tim unpacks the difficult position the Gulf is now in and the parallels between the Iraq and Iran regimes. 

Plus, is this America’s Suez Crisis? Tim argues that US dominance is declining as a result of the fast-escalating conflict and offers a piece of advice to Trump for how to end the war.

CREDIT: BBC 

Highlights

• US Navy fires Hellfires as Houthi Red Sea strikes kill first mariners
• Is the Iran war America’s Suez Crisis moment?

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Tim Collins, former British Army officer @tim_324

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Tim Collins: Britain’s old friend and ally in the Gulf would welcome us back

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/10/britains-old-friend-and-ally-in-the-gulf-would-welcome-us/

Britain opens first naval overseas base in 50 years in sign of ‘global reach’  

​​https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/05/britain-opens-first-naval-overseas-base-50-years-sign-global/

Col. Tim Collins' full speech, Kuwait, 19 March, 2003

https://www.dajobe.org/2003/03/collins/

BBC: 10 Days to War mini series

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009rcp0

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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 2026-08-12 15:50:05

Houthis’ first kills in Red Sea & is the Iran war America’s Suez moment? (media.mp3)

The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out their first deadly strikes of the war, killing six mariners in a double-tap ballistic missile attack on a cargo vessel in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, near the Strait of Hormuz, US Navy helicopters have fired Hellfire missiles to disable a ship breaking Donald Trump’s blockade.

On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Venetia Rainey is joined by veteran British Army officer Tim Collins, famous for his ‘tread lightly’ speech prior to leading British troops into Iraq in 2003 (and dramatised by Kenneth Branagh in the 2008 BBC series 10 Days to War). Just back from a trip to Bahrain, Tim unpacks the difficult position the Gulf is now in and the parallels between the Iraq and Iran regimes. 

Plus, is this America’s Suez Crisis? Tim argues that US dominance is declining as a result of the fast-escalating conflict and offers a piece of advice to Trump for how to end the war.

CREDIT: BBC 

Highlights

• US Navy fires Hellfires as Houthi Red Sea strikes kill first mariners
• Is the Iran war America’s Suez Crisis moment?

CONTRIBUTORS:

Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey

Tim Collins, former British Army officer @tim_324

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Tim Collins: Britain’s old friend and ally in the Gulf would welcome us back

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/10/britains-old-friend-and-ally-in-the-gulf-would-welcome-us/

Britain opens first naval overseas base in 50 years in sign of ‘global reach’  

​​https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/05/britain-opens-first-naval-overseas-base-50-years-sign-global/

Col. Tim Collins' full speech, Kuwait, 19 March, 2003

https://www.dajobe.org/2003/03/collins/

BBC: 10 Days to War mini series

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009rcp0

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026

Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026

The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Video Producer: Max Bower

Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh

Studio Operator: Andy Watson

Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey 

► 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.