Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. Google’s Gemini AI model got on the Internet and hacked other companies during a test of its cybersecurity capabilities. President Trump banned three media outlets from the White House. “I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house,” he said. And the US and Denmark reached a deal that doesn’t involve America owning Greenland.
Heads up: Less than two weeks ago, we were debating the ethics of artificial intelligence and the harm it is causing the environment. Now we’re wondering when it’s going to snuff out humanity. Our story explains how we got from there to here. Sam Altman of OpenAI will brief the UN Security Council during the General Assembly meeting in New York City this coming week.
Robot brains: Some companies are focusing on software that determines robots’ intelligence and allows them to do economically productive tasks. Anthropic set up a wet lab to do biology work as it pushes AI into the world of drug science. The company also might roll out a new model before its IPO even as its chief said the AI community should slow its pace in the name of safety.
Strategy of Defiance: No company has announced plans to build a data center in the rural Ohio town of Defiance, but residents oppose welcoming the hulking behemoths all the same. Democrats see an advantage to harnessing that opposition across the Midwest before the midterm elections.
Family portrait: Democrats are trying to get past the bloodied noses and bruised egos of their primary campaigns, but in competitive races in several states, lingering bitterness could harm their push to retake control of Congress.
Widespread: Russian forces committed sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war in Ukraine, including gang rape and electric shocks to the genitals, while Ukrainian authorities were responsible for a smaller number of violations, the UN human-rights office said.
Bind: Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces a dilemma: If he cuts Russian oil imports to avoid US tariffs, he risks rising fuel prices before regional elections. If he doesn’t, he risks crippling exports to India’s largest market.
Barefoot and terrified: Fighting in Yemen has exploded into full-blown war along several fronts. As ever, civilians are taking the brunt of it, often forced to flee with nothing – not even their children.
Borders: The recent mass influx of migrants into Spain’s African enclave of Ceuta is fueling far-right sentiment despite tougher immigration policies pushing down irregular arrivals in Europe, EU’s migration commissioner said.
Look in the mirror: Bill Gates said measles will stick around because of vaccine hesitancy in rich countries. Trust in measles vaccines in the US has fallen, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Pennsylvania and the CDC are brawling over the disease.
HIV: Fiji declared a national crisis after new diagnoses of the disease rose 27% in 2025 and estimated that one in 60 adults was living with the disease.
Especially in golf: Remember how a bunch of golf pros left the PGA back in 2022 to join the Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf circuit? The PGA hasn’t. Now that the Saudis have pulled out and LIV has gone bankrupt, the PGA Tour’s commissioner said it is not considering a returning-member program.
But not in ice hockey: The NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer and captain of the Washington Capitals appeared in an ad for a political party in Russia that Vladimir Putin backs. Regarding lodging, how would you like to be housed in a wooden box while attending the Asian Games?
Tell-tale teeth: Scientists used chemical clues in the teeth of the Tyrannosaurus rex to determine that the dinosaur was warm-blooded and had a temperature close to that of humans.
They’re just like us: African wild dogs will trek thousands of miles to find mates, a study shows. Speaking of travel, another study shows that
