Dozens of Malicious Microsoft Packages Are Digitally Signed With Official Key

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Dozens of Malicious Microsoft Packages Are Digitally Signed With Official Key (Maria)

The author writes, “Dozens of cryptographically verified open source packages from Microsoft were compromised late last week to add advanced credential-stealing code that was triggered when developers opened them in AI coding agents. In all, multiple researchers said, 73 packages were flagged as malicious when automated systems on GitHub blocked them on the platform. … The incident is the second supply-chain attack in as many months to breach an official Microsoft repository account.”

Trump’s Ballroom Donors Are Already Cashing In (Dana)

The author writes, “It was always pretty naive to think the ultrarich individuals donating to Donald Trump’s $400 million ballroom project were doing so out of the goodness of their hearts. A new report from the nonprofit government watchdog Public Citizen has calculated that 14 ballroom donors have raked in more than $50 billion combined in government contracts over the last six months. For reference, that’s more than the GDP of countries such as Iceland and Senegal.”

AI’s Environmental Costs Threaten Water, Land and Climate (Sean)

From UN News: “Data centers, the global infrastructure powering AI, could consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2030 — nearly triple the combined annual electricity use of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria, countries collectively home to more than 650 million people. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. On top of the carbon footprint, every unit of electricity used by data centers also carries a ‘water footprint’ for cooling and energy production, and a ‘land footprint’ associated with power generation and supply chains.” 

Sweden Prepares Prisons for 13-Year-Old Gang Killers (Reader Jim)

The authors write, “A ​surge in gang-related shootings and bombings over the last decade, dozens of which were carried out by minors, has set Sweden apart from its European peers ‌and left authorities an urgent problem: what to do with children who kill. The government, in power since 2022 and heading into a tight election in September where crime is a key issue, says the softly-softly approach of the past has failed and it’s time to get tough by sending children aged under 15 to prison rather than into social care.”

Scientists Discovered Something Surprising About French Fries and Diabetes (Mili)

The author writes, “French fries may be the real potato problem. A large study tracking more than 205,000 people for nearly 40 years found that eating three servings of fries per week was linked to a 20% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes showed no significant increase in risk. The research also found that swapping potatoes for whole grains lowered diabetes risk, while replacing them with white rice had the opposite effect.” 

A Portland Cat Chose a CVS as His Retirement Home, and the Customers Are Rallying To Keep Him There (Reader Steve)

From The Oregonian: “Everyone needs a favorite place to go when they have to get out of the house and just relax. For Nutmeg the cat, that place is the CVS Pharmacy at Southeast 17th Avenue and Tacoma Street — a choice that earned him the title of ‘unofficial mayor of Sellwood’ in Willamette Week. But while he has plenty of friends there, not everyone is happy to see him strolling through the aisles or curled up on the printing kiosk. On May 16, someone took to the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood Facebook group page to ask Nutmeg’s owners to keep the 18-year-old cat out of the store for sanitary reasons. A complaint against Nutmeg was filed with CVS’ corporate offices a few days later, according to the cat’s owners, Joe and Gabi Moore.”