OUR PICKSChinese Hackers Are Getting Bigger, Better and Stealthier | Trump’s Counter-Terror Cuts | How Memes Spread Conspiracy Theories, and more
· Chinese Hackers Are Getting Bigger, Better and Stealthier
· DOGE Comes for the Data Wonks
· How Memes Spread Conspiracy Theories –and What to Consider Before Sharing One
· Hegseth Brought His Wife to Sensitive Meetings with Foreign Military Officials
· Trump’s Counter-Terror Cuts will Harm Fight Against Far Right, Experts Warn
Chinese Hackers Are Getting Bigger, Better and Stealthier (Economist)
Experts say it is the main shift in the cyber-threat landscape in a decade.
DOGE Comes for the Data Wonks (Economist)
America may soon be unable to measure itself properly.
How Memes Spread Conspiracy Theories – and What to Consider Before Sharing One (Emily Godwin, The Conversation)
A meme may seem funny or insightful on its own –but within wider conversations, it can take on new meanings. Consider how it might be interpreted alongside other messages circulating in similar spaces. Could it be contributing to a pattern of misinformation, division or trivialization
Ultimately, becoming mindful of the memes we share isn’t about losing a sense of humor, it’s about gaining control over the ideas we help circulate. Before you click share, take a second to think –every meme you spread can affect how people see the world.
Hegseth Brought His Wife to Sensitive Meetings with Foreign Military Officials (Chas Danner, New York Magazine)
Defense secretary’s handling of sensitive information is under fire after he shared details about a strike on Houthi militants in a group chat on a widely used app.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth isn’t just accidentally group chatting with a magazine editor about upcoming airstrikes, he’s bringing his family members to work, too. The scandal-plagued self-proclaimed “war fighter” has brought his wife, former Fox & Friends producer Jennifer Rauchet Hegseth, to at least two meetings with foreign military counterparts during which sensitive information was discussed, according to the Wall Street Journal. He’s also keeping his brother close.
The Journal and Associated Press report that Phil Hegseth, Pete’s younger brother, has been hired for a key role in the Pentagon. And while making politics an officially family affair is hardly a novel concept in Trump administrations, it’s not common for people at the Pentagon.
Trump’s Counter-Terror Cuts will Harm Fight Against Far Right, Experts Warn (Ben Makuch, The Guardian)
Scale of cuts undermines US president’s own promises of ending stateside terrorism and curtailing antisemitism.
