Flagship

US accuses Russia of election interference

The US accused Russia of waging “psychological warfare” on Americans as part of Moscow’s sprawling campaign to influence the 2024 presidential election. Authorities alleged that RT, the Kremlin-backed news outlet formerly known as Russia Today, was behind criminal actions that included paying US influencers millions to post pro-Russia content. The US charged two Russian RT employees and sanctioned its executives in what CNN described as the Biden administration’s most significant response yet to Russian interference efforts. US intelligence believes the efforts could favor Republican nominee Donald Trump, whom Moscow views as a Ukraine skeptic. Experts have also warned that AI has made it easier for countries like Iran and China to sway US public opinion ahead of November’s election.

Biden to block US Steel sale

US President Joe Biden is set to block Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion takeover of US Steel in the coming days over national security concerns. It would be a “stunning rejection” of the bid proposed by Japan — a key US ally — The Washington Post reported. The takeover has been one of the biggest political flashpoints ahead of the US election, with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris both opposing it to gain union support. US Steel warned Wednesday that killing the deal would put thousands of jobs at risk and force it to close steel mills. Foreign policy analysts, and some within Biden’s administration in private, have ridiculed the national security concerns, given Japan’s critical role in helping Washington counter China in the Indo-Pacific.

Lula defends X ban

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said his country’s ban on Elon Musk’s X showed that “the world is not obliged to put up with Musk’s extreme right-wing anything goes just because he is rich.” Lula’s comments to CNN come amid the billionaire’s monthslong feud with Brazilian authorities who have also threatened to revoke the license of his satellite internet provider, Starlink. Banning X could help combat right-wing conspiracy theories “but at a substantial cost to free expression,” The Washington Post argued. But Musk “doesn’t walk the talk” when it comes to free speech, a Brazilian columnist told The Guardian, citing a study showing that X accepted 83% of content moderation requests from governments in the first six months after Musk took over the platform.

US Navy uses Starlink on warships

The US Navy will use Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide high-speed internet to its warships. Ships at sea rely on an aging satellite network for what is “decidedly slow internet access,” significantly inferior to commercial options such as Starlink and OneWeb, WIRED reported. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had a Starlink terminal installed with the goal of providing crew members with reliable internet, rather than military communications. However, there will be “tangible warfighting impact” for logistics and morale, the Navy said. Sailors are ahead of their employers: Officers on the USS Manchester last year installed an illegal Starlink satellite dish “to check sports scores, text home and stream movies,” the Navy Times reported.

Russia’s secret India trade channel

Russia secretly turned to India to secure critical dual-use technology and sensitive goods, according to leaked documents accessed by the Financial Times. The plan involved using a massive trove of rupees that Russia had amassed from its lucrative oil trade with India but was unable to repatriate because of Western sanctions. So, Moscow spent the money through a “closed payment system” between Russian and Indian firms to acquire sensitive goods originally imported into India from Western markets. Despite Delhi cozying up to Washington, the country’s close economic ties to Russia have been a source of frustration for the White House.

Anti-Putin film to screen in Venice

A Georgian anti-Putin film will be allowed to play at the Venice Film Festival this week after an Italian court moved to authorize screenings, despite an ongoing legal dispute. An attempt by Russian and Croatian producers to block The Antique on copyright grounds was widely seen as politically motivated: The film tells the story of Moscow’s illegal deportation of thousands of Georgian nationals in 2006 and is highly critical of Russia’s leader. The incident illustrates how it has become ever harder for filmmakers to release movies that might anger authoritarian states, Semafor’s Ben Smith wrote following an interview with the film’s director. “We are in the middle of Europe, and we are under censorship,” Rusudan Glurjidze, whose real-life experiences inspired the work, said in the interview.

Ex-VW boss in court over ‘dieselgate’

The former boss of German automaker Volkswagen appeared in court on charges of fraud, perjury, and market manipulation over the “dieselgate” scandal. Martin Winterkorn was the CEO in 2015 when it emerged VW had installed software in more than nine million cars making them pass emission tests in the laboratory despite producing illegal levels of pollution on the road. The revelations shook the industry and cost VW around $30 billion in fines, recalls, and customer compensation. Winterkorn was meant to face trial in 2021 but health concerns delayed proceedings: He could face seven years in jail if convicted. It’s been a rough week for VW, which is for the first time considering closing German plants amid competition from Chinese rivals.

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China warns of spy recruitment

China’s top spy agency warned college students to be wary of “handsome men and beautiful women” who might lure them into spying for foreign entities. The WeChat notice posted Wednesday said that international intelligence operatives could take advantage of young people’s “willingness to try new things,” Reuters reported, and might offer them internships or work opportunities in exchange for access to classified and sensitive research. The move is part of Beijing’s larger anti-espionage campaign that has intensified under Xi Jinping’s leadership. Chinese citizens are trained to monitor and report suspicious activity, according to The Economist’s Drum Tower podcast. Beijing doesn’t need a KGB-like force to counter espionage because its own “version of a surveillance state is right there: hiding in plain sight.”

Sweden urges less screen time for kids

Sweden’s public health authority issued guidelines saying children under two should not be exposed to any screens. The new recommendations also advised parents that teenagers should have no more than three hours of screen time a day. It is starkly lower than the current averages for young Swedish people, estimated to be seven hours a day for older teens. A government minister said digital media “can have negative health effects, including worsened sleep and symptoms of depression,” although these direct causal impacts are widely debated by scientists. France is considering similar measures after a recent study concluded that children should not be exposed to screens before the age of three.

Big sharks eat other big sharks

A swallowed radio tracking tag offered rare evidence of big sharks hunting other big sharks. A pregnant porbeagle, which can grow to 12 feet long, was tagged in the Atlantic. Its tag reappeared five months later and data showed a surprising spike in temperature that remained constant even 600 meters below sea level. One researcher told CBS News that the only explanation is that the tag “is now in the stomach of a predator” such as a great white shark. Shark cannibalism is common, but cases of large sharks eating other large sharks are rare. Porbeagles are already endangered because of overfishing, the study’s researchers said, and the loss of pregnant females could further devastate the species.

September 5:

• Hunter Biden’s tax evasion trial begins in Los Angeles.
• Malaysia’s Petronas releases second quarter results.
• The first batch of mpox vaccines arrive in the DRC.

The currywurst was born 75 years ago this week, when a Berlin snack bar owner mixed curry powder with Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and poured it over a boiled sausage. Legend has it, she had run out of mustard. Now, Germany’s national dish is found on street corners across the capital; it even had its own museum. As anti-immigrant sentiment surges in Europe, one Michelin star chef told BR24 the spicy sausage’s Anglo-Indian-German ingredients carry symbolic power. “When extremists eat a currywurst, they should also know that many continents and people of different religions and cultures are united on one plate, on one spoon,” he said. “And that this can be very good.”

• Trump is looming over US climate talks in China.
• Uncle Sam wants to know: What can your country do for AI?
• The Trump assassination attempt fades into the rearview.