Danger

• The author argues that excessive AI safety guardrails are leaving U.S. cyberdefense vulnerable and hindering the nation's ability to compete globally. • To regain dominance, the U.S. must pivot toward adopting and supporting open-source AI models, which allow for local hosting and custom tuning. • This shift is critical because open-source technology is immediately reproducible and modifiable, serving as the primary catalyst for unlocking the AI economy.

Figures disclosed by 33 NHS trusts show temperatures on wards during July rose above 28C limit set by NHS EnglandHospitals in England have recorded temperatures of almost 42C this summer, with surgeries being cancelled because operating theatres’ cooling units stopped working in the intense heat.The Northern Care Alliance NHS foundation trust, which runs four hospitals in Greater Manchester, recorded a temperature of 41.8C during last month’s heatwave – 14C above the recommended safe maximum.Some patients are also cancelling their own surgery because it is too hot for them to travel.Hospitals and GP surgeries are offering frail elderly patients appointments at the start and end of the day, when it is less hot, to make it easier for them to attend.Ambulance services are struggling to keep some medications at the right temperature because it gets so hot in the back of their vehicles.NHS ambulance trusts have relaxed their usual dress code rules to help crews stay cooler, for example by wearing shorts rather than trousers Continue reading...

• Donald Trump has issued orders directing the Department of Justice to target states and localities whose childhood immunization rules conflict with parental authority, religious freedom, and medical exemptions. • The orders include a call for the CDC to revise its vaccine recommendations to align with those of other developed nations and revive claims linking vaccines to autism, despite scientific refutation. • Critics argue these directives are dangerous as they encourage vaccine refusal, potentially placing millions of children at risk of preventable diseases.

• North Carolina Democrats are warning that voting rights are under threat on the 61st anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. • Republican lawmakers are pushing a bill to reduce the 17-day early voting period, arguing that low primary turnout makes the current staffing requirements unnecessary. • Governor Josh Stein announced on Wednesday that he plans to veto the legislation, which previously included proposals requiring photo identification for military and overseas mail-in ballots.

• The Trump administration is developing a secretive framework to vet potentially dangerous AI models to prevent cybersecurity threats. • The initiative was prompted by the release of Anthropic’s Mythos model in April, which the company withheld from the public due to its potential to hack financial and IT systems. • Critics argue the plan lacks transparency, leaving significant open questions regarding how the government will oversee AI safety and security.

A Trump administration framework on AI testing leaves a lack of transparency – and plenty of open questionsAfter months of talking with tech industry leaders, the Trump administration finalized a framework this week for how it will test new artificial intelligence models for safety and cybersecurity risks. So far, the White House is keeping details of the framework private, in a blow to transparency and potential boon for secretive AI companies.On Tuesday, staff from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google, Nvidia and Microsoft attended a private meeting with White House officials to review the AI framework. Multiple outlets have since reported that although the volunteer vetting process for new AI models has been settled, the White House does not plan to release its policy publicly and will only share testing criteria with a select few tech companies. Continue reading...

Initial evidence suggests the drone, which was found near Ukrainian cargo planes at the German airport, came from RussiaThe armed drone found at Leipzig airport on Wednesday may not have exploded, but the fact that it got inside the perimeter, close to Ukrainian cargo planes, raises obvious concerns for the security of international aviation.Though the identity of the culprits is unknown, the initial evidence points firmly towards a Russian-orchestrated plot. It is the first time that a drone with explosives has been found in Europe far from the Ukrainian border. Continue reading...

Winter flu season is putting pressure on the health system, with medical staff bracing for the ‘worst three weeks of the year’Sick patients in New South Wales have been told to avoid the emergency room unless their life is at risk after a record day for winter presentations put the hospital system under strain.The New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, said just under 10,000 people presented to emergency departments in Sydney on Monday, the “biggest ever recorded winter day in history”. It was around 1,000 more people than the average. Continue reading...

El Niño forecast to strengthen from August to October, resulting in higher temperatures and more extreme weatherIndia’s monsoon is in danger and hotter, drier conditions are forecast across much of the world as a stronger El Niño weather system is taking hold, weather experts have warned.The El Niño system will strengthen from August to October, which will bring higher temperatures globally, with increasing rainfall in some regions while other suffer drought, according to new data and forecasts released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Friday. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration has implemented a new policy ending federal support for "dangerous" gain-of-function (DGOF) research. • The policy increases oversight of life sciences research that could pose significant risks to national security, biosecurity, or public health. • This move targets the study of infectious agents altered to increase transmissibility or disease severity, a practice previously used to predict viral evolution and design vaccines.

Exclusive: Scientists say about 5,000 fewer southern bent-wing bats have been recorded at a key maternity site for the speciesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA sudden decline in critically endangered bats is troubling experts, who recorded about 5,000 fewer southern bent-wing bats than usual at Naracoorte’s “bat cave” this summer.These tiny russet-toned microbats roost in caves and forage for insects over long distances across south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia. Continue reading...

Green party leader says it was ‘a mistake’ and if Farage wants to apologise for times he’s put people in danger he’ll be happy to say sorryThe Green party leader, Zack Polanski, has said he made an “inadvertent mistake” over a social media image but will not apologise to Nigel Farage.The image, which Polanski said he “shared inadvertently” on Instagram and then removed, featured a man wearing a black T-shirt with the message “We’re only making plans for Nigel” and an image of a guillotine. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new policy on Tuesday banning federal funding for "dangerous" gain-of-function research. • This type of research involves enhancing viruses to predict potential threats, a practice that has faced scrutiny following the COVID-19 pandemic. • The move follows a 2020 order from the Trump administration and aligns with a bipartisan bill signed by President Joe Biden on March 20, 2023.

Research shows AI accounts are gaining millions of views on TikTok by spreading dubious health adviceMisleading health claims online pose a “huge danger to public safety”, experts have warned, after research has shown that AI-generated doctors are gaining millions of views on TikTok by spreading dubious health advice.The British Medical Association council deputy chair, Dr Emma Runswick, flagged the risks posed by AI accounts that “peddle medical myths and promote so-called miracle cures”. Continue reading...

The conditions for ferocious fires are expected to worsen as the planet heats up, putting more people at riskFierce wildfires after back-to-back heatwaves have forced tens of thousands of people across southern Europe to flee their homes, while powerful infernos across Canada and the US choke big cities with thick smoke. Continue reading...

• Big tech "hyper-scalers," including companies like Amazon, are aggressively investing in AI and machine learning to keep pace with rapid technological developments. • There is a growing gap between the high expectations for AI and the actual reality of its current utility, creating a "dangerously hidden" bubble. • While short-term spending remains stable because buyers are locked in and funded via bonds, this instability poses a long-term risk to both tech giants and their suppliers.

• Arcee, a U.S.-based open-source AI lab, has stated that AI models developed in China are not inherently dangerous. • The statement comes amid intensifying debates over the security risks of Chinese AI as these models increase in capability and gain popularity among American companies. • Arcee argues that the fundamental training processes of these models do not make them naturally hazardous, challenging the narrative that foreign origin equates to a security threat.

• OpenAI experienced a model-driven security breach, though the specific technical details of the compromise remain under scrutiny. • The incident is currently being obscured by conflicting narratives, ranging from "singularity" alarmism to dismissals of the event as mere marketing hype. • This tension matters because it prevents a clear understanding of how AI models can be exploited, potentially masking critical vulnerabilities in AI safety.

• The U.S. AI industry faces potential instability as Chinese AI models rapidly advance, threatening the dominance of American firms and the sustainability of high-spending investment cycles. • Technological shifts are emerging, with MIT developing electronic-photonic integration to drastically reduce data-center power consumption and enable petabit-speed chips, prompting heavy investment from Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom. • Market volatility is evident as IBM stock plummeted 25% following a warning of weaker Q2 revenue, raising concerns about a broader AI bubble burst.

The legendary composer warned theaters could soon meet the same fate as Hollywood’s ‘empty soundstages’Andrew Lloyd Webber has spoken out about the precarious state of Broadway in the wake of the early closing of his revival Cats: The Jellicle Ball.“Broadway is more than a street or a collection of buildings. It is an idea—and one of the greatest cultural ideas America has given us,” the composer wrote in a lengthy X thread on Tuesday morning. Continue reading...

Airports have had to use gazebos to shield passengers from sun as they wait to be processed, says Alexander ZinellThe boss of 14 Greek airports has called for a serious overhaul of the EU’s new border checks, after being forced to erect gazebos for passengers to cope with queues.The chief executive of Fraport Greece, Alexander Zinell, joined a growing chorus of critics calling out “fundamental flaws” in the entry-exit system (EES), which requires non-EU passengers to have their fingerprints and photo taken at the start of the their trip and verified every time they leave or re-enter the Schengen zone. Continue reading...

Exclusive: health groups call on expected next prime minister to rip up agreement, which analysis suggests could lead to 229,000 excess deaths by 2036UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham is being urged to scrap the UK-US trade deal on medicines as health organisations and doctors’ groups warn it is dangerous and prioritises pharmaceutical company profits over the lives of NHS patients.Ministers have defended the agreement, signed last December, as a way of helping British drug exports to the US avoid tariffs and giving patients access to potentially life-extending drugs that would otherwise be denied. Continue reading...

• An internal U.S. Treasury Department report warns that the current artificial intelligence surge could be forming a financial bubble similar to the dotcom bust of the late 1990s. • While the Trump administration maintains a bullish public stance on AI, private analysts are evaluating the risks of speculative excess within the sector. • The report notes key differences between today's AI firms and 1990s companies, specifically regarding the level of debt financing used to fuel growth.

• OpenAI has reached a staggering valuation of $852 billion, driven by a small circle of venture capitalists, institutional investors, and early employees. • The article argues that this wealth is built upon the backs of a vast workforce whose jobs, wages, and entire industries have been disrupted by AI. • This disparity highlights a growing economic divide where the creators and laborers enabling AI's growth have no financial stake in the company's success.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has proposed a government equity stake of 5% in the company, which would be valued at approximately $42.6 billion. • The initiative aims to distribute AI-generated profits among American citizens to mitigate the financial impact of widespread job displacement caused by automation. • This proposal highlights the growing tension between Silicon Valley's rapid AI advancement and the White House's need to protect the national workforce.

• The U.S. is celebrating its 250th anniversary this July 4th with major festivities, including "Freedom 250" events in Washington, D.C., and a scheduled speech by Donald Trump. • For the first time, the capital's Independence Day celebrations have been designated as a National Special Security Event, a high-level security status usually reserved for inaugurations and Super Bowls. • These historic celebrations are unfolding amidst a dangerous heat wave, posing potential health risks to attendees and participants.

• Senator Marco Rubio is reportedly advocating for a diplomatic strategy in Lebanon that would allow for a prolonged or indefinite Israeli military occupation. • Critics argue that this approach ignores Lebanese sovereignty and risks destabilizing the region, potentially triggering a full-scale civil war. • The situation highlights a contentious shift in U.S. foreign policy toward the Levant, prioritizing Israeli security objectives over Lebanese territorial integrity.

National Weather Service warns heat index could reach 115F as extreme heat grips midwest, Ohio valley and east coastSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA “prolonged, dangerous heatwave” is expected to intensify across parts of the central and eastern United States over the next few days and into the holiday weekend, bringing record-breaking temperatures, humidity, and dangerous conditions to millions of Americans.The National Weather Service (NWS) warned on Thursday that temperatures between 95F (35C) and 105F (40.5C), combined with high humidity, will push heat index values across parts of the region to between 100F (37.7C) and 115F (46.1C). Continue reading...