News Stories

Excerpts of Key News Stories in Major Media

Below are highly revealing excerpts of key news stories from the major media that suggest major cover-ups and corruption. Links are provided to the full stories on their media websites. If any link fails to function, read this webpage. These news stories are listed by date posted. You can explore the same list by order of importance or by date of news story. By choosing to educate ourselves and to spread the word, we can and will build a brighter future.

Note: This comprehensive list of news stories is usually updated once a week. Explore our full index to revealing excerpts of key major media news stories on several dozen engaging topics. And don't miss amazing excerpts from 20 of the most revealing news articles ever published.

"Kids don't go on social media because they love social media per se," the children's author and National Year of Reading 2026 ambassador, Rob Biddulph says. "They go there looking for connection and for belonging – and for entertainment and inspiration." The challenge, he says, is not to replace social media itself, it is to replace the things it provides. At the Scouts, Simon Carter says one of their biggest attractions is that they bring young people into contact with others outside their friendship circles. Film clubs, youth theatres and music projects offer similar opportunities: BFI film clubs bring young people together to make films in teams. Youth Music-supported projects include everything from DJing, podcasting and gaming to organising gigs. Libraries and bookshops can play a similar role: many now host gaming sessions, manga clubs, creative workshops, reading groups and book clubs. Youth organisations are not the only route to connection. Wilson recommends environmental activism for older children. John Glancy, of the National Trust, believes parents should start by asking their children why their favourite social media platform and video game appeals to them. "The answer might reveal they're searching for a sense of identity, stimulation or a sense of achievement," he says. "Once you know which it is, it becomes easier to find alternatives." Joe Doherty, of Outward Bound ... recommends activities that offer rewards – be it novelty, progression or excitement.

Note: A 2025 study found that cutting social media use for just one week significantly reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia in young adults. Explore more positive stories like this on reimagining education and healing social division.

Nineteen-year-old Hege is stricken by all the common anxieties of her generation. She spends too much time scrolling through socials on her phone, and as a result she is obsessed with how other people perceive her, and highly stressed when it comes to interacting with real humans in the flesh. Hege and her classmates are packed off to for 12 months: a "folk high school" ... 200 miles above the Arctic circle. Here the students don't sit in classes, they "wake up their Stone Age brains" by learning how to pitch a tent, keep themselves warm at minus 30C, and drive dog sleds across the icy landscape. Hege may still be overthinking things when she dons a pair of RayBans at her first campfire, but soon she goes hours without even remembering to check her mobile, and eventually there is nothing greater in the world to her than dashing through the snow on the back of a dog sled, her body racing but her mind finally standing still. In a world where there's great emphasis on individualism, folk high schools stress community and social interaction in a way that often goes under the radar. Do these young people come out of their folk high school experience better equipped to cope with the challenges of the modern world? "It's a tricky question, because of course part of the point is to evade the modern world," says Ewing. "They're definitely not better at managing ChatGPT or using AI. But they're better equipped to be decent human beings who can maybe not shrink under pressure in the future."

Note: A 2025 study found that cutting social media use for just one week significantly reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia in young adults. Explore more positive stories like this on reimagining education.

A trove of internal records from a secret society for powerful figures in US politics, finance, and tech was left exposed online. The group, called Dialog, is a private, invitation-only organization cofounded in 2006 by the billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel. It convenes US officials, foreign government figures, and Silicon Valley executives at off-the-record annual retreats. Dialog has spent two decades declining to disclose its members. A directory in the website's code was first revealed by the Swiss hacktivist maia arson crimew. Known for exposing the US government's No Fly List and breaching the surveillance-camera company Verkada, crimew tells WIRED the directory surfaced via an anonymous tip. The registration records list General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe and the head of US European Command, who took the post in July 2025 and is recorded on the leaked list as having attended Dialog gatherings since 2021. The website directory names sitting Trump administration officials, two US senators, six members of the Paypal Mafia, a former Middle East chief of intelligence, and a sitting ambassador to the United States, along with the founders and directors of many of the country's largest surveillance, data-broker, and advertising-data companies. What ties the roster together more than any title or office is a shared preoccupation with artificial intelligence, longevity, and the near future.

Note: Read how Thiel worked with the CIA to influence the origins of Facebook. Watch a 7-min video with WTK Director Amber Yang and Joe Martino from Collective Evolution discussing the links between Thiel, Palantir, Jeffrey Epstein, the Rothschild banking family, and intelligence agency operations. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on Big Tech.

The Pentagon unveiled another batch of its so-called UFO files on Friday, part of a rolling release of once-classified material ordered released by President Donald Trump. Friday's release included more than 50 previously classified videos and other documents related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), the official term used by the federal government to describe UFO's. Among the newly released files are a video from an infrared sensor operated by the U.S. Coast Guard in April 2024 showing an object flying near a plane over the Southeastern U.S. Another video labeled "Syrian UAP instant acceleration" was taken from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2021 and uploaded to a classified network in 2024, according to the Pentagon. After multiple investigations, the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has found no evidence that any of these incidents are of an extraterrestrial nature -- but military officials admit many remain "unresolved" and cannot be explained. So far, the Pentagon has released over 200 files related to UAPs ... following the directive from Trump. Another of the newly released records -- a video from 2020 taken in an undisclosed area under U.S. Central Command -- appears to show a sphere flying over a population center before it eventually flew higher, off into the sky. Two weeks ago, the Pentagon released the first batch of files from various federal agencies.

Note: Don't miss our new video UFO Disclosure Explained: New Solutions for Humanity w/ Daniel Sheehan and Amber Yang. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on UFOs. Then explore the comprehensive resources provided in our UFO Information Center.

The latest Pentagon release of UFO files contains several eyewitness accounts and video images that document the sighting of spherical objects or orbs, which is no surprise to whistleblower Jeremy Corbell and others who study "unidentified anomalous phenomena." Floating orbs, sometimes exuding a glowing quality, have been regularly spotted "since the beginning of the UFO phenomenon," [said] Corbell. And yet characteristics have emerged about these types of UAP over the years, Corbell notes. For instance, he said, orbs are thought to be made of plasma and harmful to humans. The plasma idea "aligns with the main theory of Ufology," says Miguel Sancho, author of "Evidence of the Extraordinary." Although spherical UAP appear to be round, there could be much more than meets the eye, Corbell said. "There is some understanding of the physics involved that it could be ‘cloaking' a much larger craft and all you're seeing is a pinpoint of light," he said. One of the files unveiled Friday is July 2025 cellphone video of two red-colored orbs passing over a wooded area in the Northeastern U.S., where similar accounts emanated in recent years. Witnesses told investigators that one of the spheres contained a "white plasma ‘sun' about the size of a basketball." In a separate document from 2024, FBI agents operating in the same region recounted seeing UAP they described as pulsations of light. Agents took photographs, but the images reportedly were blurry.

Note: Don't miss our new video UFO Disclosure Explained: New Solutions for Humanity w/ Daniel Sheehan and Amber Yang. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on UFOs. Then explore the comprehensive resources provided in our UFO Information Center.

Unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) whistleblower and former Air Force intelligence officer David Grusch accused intelligence agencies Tuesday of hiding billions of dollars in secret government spending from Congress. His investigation uncovered what he described as "slush funds" – pools of money allegedly operating outside normal congressional oversight channels – worth billions of dollars annually that were allegedly used to support activities operating outside normal oversight channels, Grusch said speaking at a Capitol Hill event alongside members of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets. "This is also a real fraud, waste and abuse issue," Grusch said. "During my investigation, I found slush funds to the tune of billions of dollars per annum for these activities." Asked what the government knows about nonhuman intelligence, Grusch claimed the government is aware of "several" different alien species. "It's a continuum from corporeal bipedal type life to, you know, what I would consider is like sentient plasma life," Grusch said. "But there are several that this government is aware of." Federal investigators recently alleged that former CIA official David Rush used a fraudulent "special access program" as part of a scheme involving more than $40 million in gold bars and millions in government funds, drawing renewed attention to how highly restricted government programs can operate with limited outside visibility.

Note: Don't miss our new video UFO Disclosure Explained: New Solutions for Humanity w/ Daniel Sheehan and Amber Yang. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on UFOs. Then explore the comprehensive resources provided in our UFO Information Center.

A market investor who studies unidentified anomalous phenomena says fossil fuel industries would become obsolete if governments disclose forms of "zero-point energy" they've been developing in secret. Matthew Tuttle of Tuttle Capital Management tells "Reality Check with Ross Coulthart" that he believes whistleblowers who say the U.S. government and contractors are reverse-engineering recovered alien tech. It's likely the U.S. and rival nations for decades have been developing ZPE to harness energy from the quantum field. "It will be a game-changer unlike anything we could ever imagine. There are going to be massive winners, and there are going to be massive losers," Tuttle says. Tuttle suggests the U.S. has kept the project under wraps to protect major corporations that rely on conventional technology and energy sources. He said it's inevitable that someone, even another nation, spills the secret on ZPE, but it won't necessarily be ruinous for companies that suddenly find themselves dinosaurs. "It's going to take years to retool everything. My car is not going to use zero-point energy tomorrow. I'm going to be filling up my car with gas for a very, very long time," Tuttle said. His firm, which manages several "exchange-traded funds," recently launched a new "UFO Disclosure" ETF that presumes new information about UAPs will come to light and, in turn, benefit certain industries. The obvious beneficiaries are defense contractors and their suppliers.

Note: Don't miss our new video UFO Disclosure Explained: New Solutions for Humanity w/ Daniel Sheehan and Amber Yang. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on UFOs. Then explore the comprehensive resources provided in our UFO Information Center.

The Pentagon has announced that they employ specialized energy weapons for defense. The Department of War's Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael announced this development in an X post. The post ... included a pic of said weaponry firing a laser beam and a soldier holding his head in pain. Dubbed directed energy weapons or DEWs, these advanced instruments of war use focused rays to disable electronic weapons such as drones and incapacitate – or even kill – enemy soldiers. According to the X post, these beams are comprised of "concentrated electromagnetic energy or atomic or subatomic particles." With this announcement, the Department of War seemingly confirmed years of so-called rumors that claimed that the government was developing this science fiction-esque weapon. Perhaps one of the most notable figures sounding the alarm was deceased scientist Amy Eskridge, 34, who was involved in extensive research into anti-gravity technology, UFOs, and extraterrestrial life. The researcher, who allegedly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2022, had claimed she was hit by a DEW attack in her own home in Huntsville, Alabama not too long before her death. Her theory was seconded by retired British intelligence officer Franc Milburn, whom she had enlisted to investigate harassment she received after she threatened to disclose information about the subjects of her research.

Note: Read more about the mysterious ailments said to be caused by directed energy weapons. Is there a connection to other missing or dead scientists? For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on non-lethal weapons and UFO disclosure.

Unesco has adopted a set of global standards on the ethics of neurotechnology, a field that has been described as "a bit of a wild west". She said the new standards were driven by two recent developments in neurotechnology: artificial intelligence (AI), which offers vast possibilities in decoding brain data, and the proliferation of consumer-grade neurotech devices such as earbuds that claim to read brain activity and glasses that track eye movements. The standards define a new category of data, "neural data", and suggest guidelines governing its protection. A list of more than 100 recommendations ranges from rights-based concerns to addressing scenarios that are – at least for now – science fiction, such as companies using neurotechnology to subliminally market to people during their dreams. "Neurotechnology has the potential to define the next frontier of human progress, but it is not without risks," said Unesco's director general, Audrey Azoulay. The new standards would "enshrine the inviolability of the human mind", she said. Advocates for neurotech regulation emphasise the importance of safeguarding personal data. Unesco's standards highlight the need for "mental privacy" and "freedom of thought". "What's happening with all this legislation is fear. People are afraid of what this technology is capable of. The idea of neurotech reading people's minds is scary," said Kristen Mathews, a lawyer who works on mental privacy issues.

Note: In 1965, Jose Delgado famously stopped a charging bull with an electronic device implanted in its brain. How far might this technology progressed since then? For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on microchip implants and mind control.

On Jan. 28, 2024, Noland Arbaugh became the first person to receive a brain chip implant from Neuralink, the neurotechnology company owned by Elon Musk. The implant seemed to work: Arbaugh, who is paralyzed, learned to control a computer mouse with his mind and even to play online chess. The device is part of a class of therapeutics, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), that show promise for helping people with disabilities. A new discussion paper from the Carr Center for Human Rights welcomes the potential benefits but offers a note of caution. "In the past, there have been actors who were interested in controlling people's minds," [said] Lukas Meier, the paper's author. "It's not implausible that in the future there will be such actors, at whichever level, state or private sector, who might attempt the same but with improved technology." Meier speculates that in addition to decoding our thoughts, BCIs could be used to change our behavior. He describes research showing that some patients receiving deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease experience manic symptoms, including a 2006 case in which a patient with no previous criminal record broke into a parked car when the stimulator was activated, then returned to normal when the stimulation stopped. "Making somebody without any criminal record break into a car seems to be a pretty strong interference," he said. "Technological innovations which are becoming available ... are at high risk of being misused in order to gain an advantage."

Note: In 1965, Jose Delgado famously stopped a charging bull with an electronic device implanted in its brain. How far might this technology progressed since then? For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on microchip implants and mind control.

What you've got there from the sun on your face is a massive boost of serotonin!" says Alison Greenwood, founder of Dose of Nature, the charity successfully prescribing time outside as a treatment for mental health. Dose of Nature has already delivered 1,500 one-to-one courses and is outperforming standard NHS talking therapies, boasting a recovery rate of 64% compared with the health service's 50%, and a reliable improvement rate of 86% compared with 69%. Unlike most green social prescribing schemes, clients are referred directly by their GPs. "Our nature prescriptions are a genuine alternative to medication and more traditional psychological therapies," Greenwood says. The key, she says, is the rediscovery of something very old: "The idea that nature is good for our mental health and wellbeing has been around for millennia. We evolved outside, under the sky, [and so] we are animals that are caged most of our time, in schools or cars or offices or homes. As soon as we get outside, we're free." There are two key parts to the Dose of Nature prescription: helping people get outside and, once there, to start noticing nature to calm their minds and bodies. As well as the serotonin-boosting sun and the phytoncides that can decrease stress hormones, studies have shown that natural sounds such as water, wind and birdsong improve mood. The fractal patterns of nature have been shown to aid recovery from stress and boost alpha waves in the brain.

Note: In New Zealand, green prescriptions have become a formal part of the healthcare system. Over 4,000 green prescriptions have been written by over 10,000 physicians in all 10 provinces of Canada. Read more about social and green prescriptions. Explore more positive stories like this on healing our bodies and mental health.

Ingrid Honkala, a former NASA scientist, claims she is intimately familiar with death after allegedly flatlining a staggering three times. Each time, she had the same revelation. "It felt like entering a deeper layer of reality that exists beyond our physical senses," Honkala, 55, told Jam Press of her trifecta of near-death experiences. "In that state, consciousness felt vast, intelligent, and interconnected." When she was just two years old ... Honkala fell into an icy tank of water at home, unbeknownst to the maid who was listening to the radio in another room. Thankfully, the tot's mother ... was able to resuscitate her. During that brief stint on the other side, however, Honkala said "Something extraordinary happened." Her fear gave way to a "deep calm." "The panic disappeared and was replaced by an overwhelming sense of peace and stillness," recalled Honkala. "It felt as if my awareness separated from my body." "The experience showed me that what we call the afterlife did not feel like a distant place at all," she said. "To me, the experience suggested that consciousness may not be produced solely by the brain – it may be something more fundamental." Honkala would undergo two more near-death experiences: one following a motorcycle accident at 25 and the other at 52, when her blood pressure dropped during surgery. She was able to attain the same serene state each time. She claimed it was this spiritual awakening that inspired her to pursue science.

Note: For more inspiring and credible material on this topic, read our Substack investigations: How Consciousness Research Can Help Heal a Divided World and Insights from Near-Death Experiences Remind Us of Who We Are and What Unites Us. Explore more positive stories like this on inspiring near-death experiences and the mysterious nature of reality.

Near-death experiencers are the best dancers. I could identify which attendees at the annual conference of the International Association for Near-Death Studies have been to the brink, because they moved their bodies with un-self-conscious abandon, ripping up the floor of a tent on the grounds of a suburban Chicago Hilton. You could walk up to any one of them, and they would matter-of-factly tell you about how they almost died. Facing death, whether your own or a loved one's, is a core part of making meaning of one's life. To struggle through this universal contemplation without a community can be brutal. The American religious landscape has become fragmented over the past few decades, and even observant people got out of the habit of going to services in person after 2020. So it makes sense that a group like IANDS could fill a much-needed gap for people who are unsatisfied by the strictures of mainstream observance and who aren't fulfilled by the loose ties of a virtual and vague spirituality. According to Pew's huge Religious Landscape Study published last year, almost 80 percent of Americans surveyed said they believed "there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it." "I feel like I found my tribe," said Maria Small, a Navy veteran who lost her young daughter, Mia, in 2020 and had not been to an IANDS conference before. She was there with her husband, Derek, who is also a veteran.

Note: For more inspiring and credible material on this topic, read our Substack investigations: How Consciousness Research Can Help Heal a Divided World and Insights from Near-Death Experiences Remind Us of Who We Are and What Unites Us. Explore more positive stories like this on inspiring near-death experiences and the mysterious nature of reality.

In a landmark decision, a Los Angeles jury has found that social media company Meta and video streaming service YouTube harmed a young user with addictive design features that led to mental health distress, including body dysmorphia, depression and suicidal thoughts. Commentators have referred to this as social media's "Big Tobacco" moment and further lawsuits are pending. Neuroscience shows that heavy social media use can overstimulate the teen brain's still-developing reward pathways in ways similar to addictive behaviours like gambling. This immature system also makes teenagers more sensitive to social feedback and less able to cope with rejection. Many Canadian teens describe [being] constantly connected online, yet increasingly disconnected in real life. They report pressure to present idealized versions of themselves and to keep up with peers. Trial data in a case between the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Meta show that only a small fraction of time on Meta platforms involves engaging with friends – about seven per cent on Instagram and 17 per cent on Facebook. The rest is mostly scrolling and watching rather than interacting. This results in an illusion of connection while deepening a sense of isolation. Research involving more than 9,000 adolescents across eight countries found a strong association between problematic social media use and higher rates of depression and anxiety. Large studies across high-income countries consistently link heavy social media use to poorer physical health outcomes too, including shorter sleep and higher rates of obesity.

Note: Former Facebook executive Tim Kendall told Congress that the company intentionally made its product as addictive as cigarettes. Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams told US senators that the company targeted teenage girls with beauty and weight-loss advertisements during moments of heightened vulnerability such as after deleting a selfie. According to her testimony, Meta could detect when users were feeling "worthless," "helpless," or like a "failure," and then make that information available to advertisers. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on Big Tech and mental health.

The construction of ... hyperscale data centers – giant facilities that house servers and computing resources – is booming nationwide. President Donald Trump's AI action plan and related executive orders have recently facilitated their speedy approval, in part by loosening environmental regulations. As the facilities have spread into suburbs and farmland, they've drawn pushback from dozens of communities concerned by how they could upend daily life. Data centers often draw enormous amounts of water and electricity, causing residents to complain about rising power bills and water shortages. The confidentiality behind some of the projects has only added to the level of concern. An NBC News review of over 30 data center proposals across 14 states found that in a majority of cases, local officials signed NDAs and worked with what appeared to be shell companies that can conceal visibility into the project developers. Five elected officials in different counties said the agreements barred them from sharing information with their constituents. Some local officials ... said they felt pressured to sign NDAs to keep their communities in the running. Data center NDAs can extend years beyond the initial proposal dates. Many of them also include clauses requiring local jurisdictions to limit disclosure of records as much as legally possible under Freedom of Information Act laws and notify the companies first so they have a "reasonable opportunity to prevent disclosure."

Note: Read about a small Wisconsin city that successfully defeated a giant data center. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on AI and Big Tech.

Tech mogul Peter Thiel ... is more entwined in the Middle East than he is in most other regions of the world. Thiel's firm, Palantir, has a strategic partnership with the Israel Ministry of Defense to supply its artificial intelligence tools and other technology to the Israeli military. As the United States and Israel wage war on Iran, Palantir is now providing one of the AI tools being used by the Pentagon for the war effort, which kicked off with the mass slaughter of Iranian schoolchildren. The germ of Palantir's involvement in the region may well have had its origins with Epstein, according to documents released earlier this year by the Department of Justice. Emails show Epstein connected Thiel with another friend, former Israeli defense minister and prime minister Ehud Barak, on account of their mutual interest in leveraging the tech sector for national security. That Epstein was the point of connection between the two men ... was suggested by a February 2013 audio recording unearthed last month. But emails show that Epstein's efforts to connect the two went much further than this conversation, including arranging multiple meetings between them across several years and ensuring that one of Thiel's investment vehicles financed one of Barak's security-related ventures. As Epstein quietly advised Barak on his private sector ventures, many of which involved Israeli tech firms, emails show that both he and Barak leaned on Thiel for his expertise.

Note: Watch a 7-min video of WTK Director Amber Yang and Joe Martino from Collective Evolution discussing the links between Epstein, Thiel, Palantir, the Rothschild banking family, and intelligence agency operations. According to a former CIA officer, "It is inconceivable given Jeffrey Epstein's travel record and associations that he was not approached by the [CIA] at some point before his death." Don't miss part one and part two of our investigations into the Epstein files so far.

The former chief investigations counsel for the House Oversight Committee has been helping to prepare Bill Gates, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, to testify privately in the panel's Jeffrey Epstein investigation on Wednesday. Representative James R. Comer of Kentucky, the Republican chairman of the committee, formally requested in March that Mr. Gates appear before the committee for a transcribed interview. His request came after files released by the Justice Department showed that Mr. Gates met with Mr. Epstein, the convicted sex offender, multiple times and that his closest advisers were in frequent contact with the disgraced financier until 2019, the year of his death in prison. In preparing for the deposition, Mr. Gates has turned to Jake Greenberg, who until December was spearheading the oversight panel's Epstein inquiry in his role as the committee's top investigative official. Mr. Gates's close relationship with Mr. Epstein has roiled his foundation, which has authorized an outside review of its ties to Mr. Epstein. Representative Suhas Subramanyam, Democrat of Virginia, said in an interview that he wanted to know what Mr. Gates "knew of Epstein's crimes, and the nature and extent of their relationship." He added, "Epstein was known for befriending and even blackmailing rich and powerful men, and I want to know if Gates was one of them." Mr. Gates has sought out powerful inside players to help him weather the scrutiny. He hired John Moran, a former lawyer for the Justice Department, who helped him secure an agreement with the committee for him to appear off camera, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Note: Don't miss part one and part two of our investigations into the Epstein files so far. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on Big Tech and Jeffrey Epstein.

When Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he claimed one of his goals was the country's "denazification." The Kremlin still uses this narrative as a cornerstone of its war propaganda. In their zeal to deconstruct Russian propaganda, Western elites created a propaganda myth of their own: there are no Nazis in Ukraine. This fiction required the whitewashing of Azov, a unit founded in 2014 by the neo-Nazi group Patriot of Ukraine under the leadership of Andriy Biletsky. Azov became notorious for extremist ideology, Nazi symbolism, and allegations of war crimes in the Donbas. In 2018, the U.S. Congress banned the group from receiving American weapons, funding, or training. After Russia's full-scale invasion, that stigma vanished almost overnight. Kyiv repackaged Azov [as] the 3rd Assault Brigade. Western media rebranded and whitewashed it. Questioning this narrative became taboo and labeled as "Russian propaganda." Neo-Nazi networks are deeply embedded in parts of Ukraine's military structure. Some Ukrainian military units have incorporated Nazi-linked symbols into their official insignia. The Zelensky government – and President Volodymyr Zelensky himself as commander-in-chief – have made a political bargain with the far right. Since 2022, far-right activists and networks have flooded into the security and defense sector. In conditions of total war and chronic manpower shortages, this alliance ... is becoming entrenched. Ukraine's Western partners ... tolerate extremists inside Ukraine's armed forces as long as those extremists continue fighting.

Note: Our Substack, Working Together To End the War On Peace in Ukraine, investigates how US collaboration with extremist nationalist groups and neo-Nazis in Ukraine helped contribute to today's Russia-Ukraine war. We also provide evidence that US and NATO policies, covert intelligence agency operations, media censorship, and corporate profiteering have fueled the conflict while blocking genuine peace efforts. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on war and military corruption.

Because defense contracts often prevent the military from repairing its own equipment, critics say weapons companies are price-gouging the Pentagon at every turn. The military's lack of a "right to repair" doesn't just allow defense contractors to charge thousands of dollars, for fixes that could be done for free or very cheaply. Rather, the Pentagon's dependence on weapons makers for maintenance undermines military readiness. Namely, contractors' extensive repair delays and sweeping decisions about whether to service gear routinely leave warfighters without critical equipment and weapons systems – even while deployed. Many DoD contracts now leave repair and maintenance, which can make up as much as 70% of a military program's lifetime cost, to the vendors. "It's a cash-cow for them," Ben Freeman, director of the Quincy Institute's Democratizing Foreign Policy Program, tells RS. "They can charge literally thousands of dollars to replace things that service members could replace for pennies." Take the RQ-11 Raven drone, for example. After hard landings, it often has trouble starting back up again. But due to contractual restrictions, the military is barred from making repairs and must ship the drone to the contractor at a cost of $26,000, regardless of the issue. When an extensive repair backlog meant service members were temporarily allowed to fix the drone themselves, however, they found they could solve the problem – a broken connector – for free with hot glue.

Note: Read more on how congress has prevented the military from repairing its own equipment. For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on military corruption.

For decades, Congress has tried and failed to give Americans control over their own personal data: the right to see it, correct it, and delete it at will. This inaction has left Americans with no recourse against misuse of their own data, while the data broker industry quietly continues to collect and sell the personal information of millions, operating in a largely unchecked gray market. Now, two new bills, the SECURE Data Act and the GUARD Financial Data Act, offer the latest test of whether Washington can step up and finally pull data brokers out of the shadows and into the reach of the law. Efforts to prevent the SECURE Data Act – or any federal protections – from being enacted are currently on full display. Exacerbating the situation and further endangering consumers, there is an entire category of companies that have deliberately avoided being classified as data brokers in an effort to skirt even the patchwork of state-level regulations. Unlike traditional data brokers, massive data aggregators don't sell your name and address to the highest bidder. Instead, they operate quietly, harvesting your data from across the internet, then assembling it into risk scores, behavioral profiles, and assessments of your creditworthiness. These opaque calculations increasingly govern your real-world outcomes, including whether you're approved for a mortgage, the interest rates on your auto loan, and what services or products are marketed to you.

Note: For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on Big Tech and the disappearance of privacy.

Important Note: Explore our full index to revealing excerpts of key major media news stories on several dozen engaging topics. And don't miss amazing excerpts from 20 of the most revealing news articles ever published.