NOISE

ICE plans electric shock gloves, prompting concerns over use of force

ICE plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on G.L.O.V.E. devices designed to incapacitate people, according to 404 Media, citing an Associated Press report. A user manual obtained by 404 Media says the gloves emit electrical energy and may contribute to “sudden death,” raising concerns about their use in immigration enforcement operations.

North Korea uses stolen identities and AI to infiltrate US jobs and funnel millions to Kim regime

$464 million Homeland Security aircraft fleet sits largely unused

The New York Times reports that Homeland Security used a no-bid contract to buy 10 used aircraft for deportation flights, but the fleet has largely sat idle, with officials citing maintenance and staffing constraints. The purchase included three luxury jets, one of which was leased to the FBI, while several Boeing 737s were parked in Louisiana. Democratic senators are seeking a full accounting, as the agency faces scrutiny over its use of urgency exemptions and the cost-effectiveness of the acquisition.

Putin’s Kuril visit draws strong protest from Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, one of four southern Kuril Islands claimed by both Russia and Japan, stopping at a fish plant, hospital and school. Japan strongly protested, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling the visit “absolutely unacceptable,” while the BBC highlighted its impact on already strained bilateral ties. The Associated Press reported that Putin defended Russia’s control as grounded in post-World War II agreements and said Moscow remained open to a peace treaty.

Ukraine targets Russia’s Black Sea naval hub amid overnight drone strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the overnight operation struck air defenses, piers and other infrastructure at Russia’s naval base in Novorossiysk, according to AP. Russian officials reported hundreds of intercepted drones, damage to buildings and industrial sites, and three deaths in the Krasnodar region; Reuters separately reported five people killed while defusing an explosive device in Sevastopol after a drone attack. AP also reported damage to two grain terminals at Novorossiysk, underscoring the port’s importance to Russian military and commercial logistics.

US ambassador condemns settler siege of Palestinian homes as terror

NPR reports that Jewish settlers besieged a Palestinian family’s home in Qusra, throwing stones and preventing occupants from leaving as food and water ran low. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee called the siege a “horrific act of terror,” while Israeli troops evacuated two residents, dismantled two illegal outposts and detained one Israeli. The incident comes amid heightened settler violence and accusations that Israel’s government is failing to curb such attacks.

Iran and US trade claims over control of Strait of Hormuz

Reuters reports that Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control and will not reopen until the US fulfills commitments under an interim deal, while President Donald Trump has claimed the US has total control. The competing positions follow the collapse of a June ceasefire and renewed tensions over navigation. The UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company separately said one of its ships was targeted while transiting the strait, underscoring risks to global shipping and energy flows.

Zhu Rongji, architect of China’s market transformation, dies at 97

Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji died in Beijing at 97, according to state media, after a career reshaping the country’s economy. The Washington Post highlighted his role in reforming state-owned enterprises, curbing inflation and negotiating China’s entry into the World Trade Organization. His death marks the end of an era for China’s market-oriented economic transformation and global integration.

Colombia earthquake toll rises as rescuers race to find survivors

At least 265 people died and nearly 500 were officially reported missing after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, though civilian databases listed more than 4,100 missing. Rescue teams searched rubble in Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdó as shelters filled and authorities assessed damage across remote, impoverished areas. The disaster has tested President Abelardo de la Espriella’s new government, while the US, Mexico and other regional partners supplied aid and rescue support.

US inflation eased to 3.4% in July as grocery prices fell

Consumer prices rose 3.4% from a year earlier in July, with falling gasoline and grocery costs offsetting increases in rent and airfares, NPR reports. Grocery prices fell about 0.1% during the month but remained 2.7% higher than a year earlier. AP reporting emphasizes that average wages are still not keeping pace with elevated prices, limiting households’ purchasing power despite cooler inflation.

Twitch defaults streamers into Amazon AI training with opt-out setting

Twitch has added a setting allowing streamers to opt out of having livestreams, videos, clips, chats, images, and text used for future Amazon generative AI training, but the option is enabled by default. 404 Media emphasizes that creators must find and disable the setting themselves, while The Register notes that Amazon was already using Twitch data in some AI development and that the policy does not clarify whether opting out affects material already used. The setting does not cover all AI features, such as moderation and captioning, and chat messages remain governed by the channel owner’s choice.

Supply-chain breach exposes credentials from thousands of organizations

CloudSEK and Hudson Rock reported that compromised LiteLLM versions exposed credentials linked to more than 2,500 organizations and about 434,000 CI/CD pipelines during a 40-minute window in March. Ars Technica reported that the leaked data included cloud keys, repository tokens, SSH keys, Kubernetes secrets and AI provider credentials, with high-confidence exposures involving companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Samsung, Salesforce and Cisco. The researchers urged affected organizations to revoke and rotate credentials and audit systems using LiteLLM versions 1.82.7 and 1.82.8.