NAG20-11.20.25 - Spotlight: Baltimore
This summary, compiled around November 20-21, 2025, offers a multi-faceted snapshot of news across local, national, and technical domains, starting with significant updates in the Baltimore area. Key Baltimore stories include the upcoming NTSB vote on the probable cause of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, preliminary findings pointing to electrical failures aboard the cargo ship Dali, and the activation of a Code Blue for extreme cold alongside expanded shelter space, meal distribution, and warming centers. The report also covers a diverse array of global technical and security incidents, such as the drive to lead open-source AI development, various software vulnerabilities, and a Microsoft out-of-band update, while also noting major national headlines like the sentencing of Pras Michel of the Fugees and political tensions surrounding former President Trump.
Episode Page: NAG20-11.20.25 - Spotlight: Baltimore
Baltimore City and County Top News Roundup
- The NTSB announced it will vote on the probable cause of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in a public meeting on November 18 [1].
- Investigators revealed preliminary NTSB findings, including electrical failures aboard the cargo ship Dali [1].
- AP News reported the Dali experienced two power blackouts caused by a loose wire before losing control and striking the bridge [1].
- Officer Robert Parks was indicted on attempted murder and assault charges after video showed him driving a cruiser toward a civilian [2].
- The Baltimore City Health Department activated a Code Blue for extreme cold running from November 15 to March 15 [2].
- City Code Blue actions include expanded shelter space, meal distribution, and warming centers [2].
- Student groups alleged intimidation and suppression of protest by the Johns Hopkins private police force [3].
- Calls are growing for City Council oversight hearings regarding the Johns Hopkins private police [3].
- Baltimore County activated overnight emergency shelters in preparation for extreme cold, listing locations like Eastern Family Resource Center and Westside Men’s Shelter [3].
- Baltimore County launched improvements to its permitting system under the “Baltimore County Builds” initiative, aiming to reduce delays and modernize digital workflows [4]. Hacker News Top Stories: November 21, 2025
- Android (starting with the Pixel 10) and iPhone users can now share files [5].
- Discussion is ongoing regarding Olmo 3 and charting a path through the model flow to lead open-source AI [5].
- FEX-emu is designed to run x86 applications on ARM64 Linux devices [5].
- Educational content titled “WebAssembly from the Ground Up” is available [5].
- An analysis or discussion posits that over-regulation is doubling the cost in a particular domain [5].
- A technical article explains the mathematical concept of Hilbert space, focusing on treating functions as vectors [5].
- An exploration details the technical difficulties and challenges encountered when attempting to construct an oscillator [5].
- Scientists confirmed that bees can process time, a finding considered a first in insects [5].
- FAWK explores the capability of Large Language Models (LLMs) to write a language interpreter [5].
- A showcase details how to build a 32-volt Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device from scratch for a budget of under $100 [5]. November 2025 Security Alert Index: Top 10 Stories
- Microsoft released an out-of-band update to fix a Windows 11 hotpatch (KB5068966) install loop [6].
- Grafana Labs issued a warning regarding a maximum severity administrative spoofing vulnerability (CVE-2025-41115) in its Enterprise product [6].
- Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike confirmed that an insider fed information to hackers, which was leaked on Telegram by the Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters threat actors [6].
- The FCC reversed a ruling that mandated stricter cybersecurity rules for U.S. telecom carriers, despite major risks like the Salt Typhoon hack [6].
- Two British teenagers associated with the “Scattered Spider” group pleaded not guilty to charges related to the August 2024 Transport for London (TfL) breach [6].
- Google initiated the rollout of advertisements within its “AI mode,” which the company refers to as its “answer engine” [6].
- A hacker claimed to steal 2.3TB of data from Almaviva, the IT services provider for Italy’s national railway operator [6].
- A significant surge (2.3 million) in malicious scanning sessions targeted Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect VPN portals starting November 14, 2025 [6].
- SonicWall urged customers to patch a high-severity SonicOS SSLVPN flaw because attackers can exploit it to crash vulnerable firewalls [6].
- A new Android banking trojan named Sturnus can steal communications from end-to-end encrypted platforms like WhatsApp and Signal [6]. November 21, 2025: Top News Summary
- Pras Michel of the Fugees was sentenced to 14 years regarding illegal campaign donations [7].
- Representative Crow declared, “I’m not going to be intimidated,” in response to a sedition threat made by Trump [7].
- Trump is scheduled to meet with Mamdani in the Oval Office on Friday, despite Trump having previously referred to him as a “communist” [7].
- The White House condemned a video created by Democratic lawmakers but chose not to back off from posts made by Trump [7].
- Voting officials are closely watching how Trump might potentially interfere in the upcoming midterms [7].
- The Transportation Department endorsed a new crash test dummy designed to more closely resemble women [7].
- A new Miss Universe was crowned, weeks after she had previously left a pageant event in protest [7].
- Anti-smoking advocates are sharply split on the question of whether vaping can help people wean themselves off of traditional cigarettes [7].
- Reporting focused on identifying the Afrikaners, who are at the center of a dispute involving Trump and South Africa [7].
- Reporting questioned whether there are lessons for the U.S. to learn from a European country’s current struggle with measles [7].
Proverb of the Day “It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.” [8]
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