News and Guidance is a notebookLM collaboration with Steve In Texas/SmallBatchSteve

This document serves as a multifaceted news digest that transitions from hyper-local civil unrest to global technological and security developments. The initial focus documents a volatile humanitarian crisis in Minneapolis, characterized by mass protests and legal battles following a fatal encounter with federal immigration agents. The text then shifts toward scientific and digital frontiers, highlighting milestones in space exploration alongside critical software vulnerabilities and the rising hardware demands of artificial intelligence. Finally, the report concludes with a comprehensive security index, detailing state-sponsored cyber warfare and the evolving landscape of digital exploitation.

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Spotlight: Minneapolis, MN

The Minneapolis area is currently facing significant civil unrest and legal challenges following federal immigration enforcement activities.

• Federal agents fatally shot a man during an operation in South Minneapolis, causing a surge in public outcry [1]. • Safety concerns led the NBA to postpone a game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors [1]. • Approximately 15,000 protesters marched in downtown Minneapolis in sub-zero temperatures demanding that ICE leave the state [1]. • The Minnesota National Guard has been activated to support local law enforcement amid escalating tensions [1]. • A statewide “Economic Blackout” and general strike occurred, with many residents skipping work and school to protest federal policies [1]. • Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the State Attorney General filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, arguing current ICE operations are unconstitutional [1]. • A federal judge ordered the immediate release of a detained child, marking a significant legal win for advocates [1]. • Community solidarity efforts have expanded, with volunteers building grassroots networks to shelter families and neighborhood resource networks to check on residents [1]. • Public employees and labor unions joined faith leaders at a massive anti-ICE rally at the Target Center [1].

NPR Daily Briefing & News Summary Global news highlights focus on scientific breakthroughs, space exploration milestones, and significant security vulnerabilities.

• NASA is in final preparations for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon, scheduled for February 6, 2026 [2, 3]. • Marathon Fusion announced a major advancement in material science with the successful transmutation of gold [2, 3]. • Projections show data centers will consume 70% of global memory chips by 2026, likely leading to broader supply shortages [2, 3]. • GitLab issued urgent warnings regarding high-severity flaws allowing for 2FA bypass and denial-of-service attacks [2, 3]. • The Royal Navy successfully tested its first autonomous helicopter drone, marking a leap in unmanned naval operations [2, 3]. • A Windows 11 update (versions 24H2/25H2) has reportedly rendered Microsoft Outlook “completely unusable” for many [2, 3]. • Developers submitted code to KDE Plasma that could turn the Linux desktop into a full virtual reality workspace [2, 3]. • The Kimwolf botnet has been identified lurking within corporate and government networks, threatening data integrity [2, 3]. • TimeSeed v3 was released, providing offline, browser-based encryption support for ML-KEM and AES keys [2, 3]. • Victims of the Vastaamo psychotherapy hack continue to face personal devastation due to the exposure of sensitive secrets [4, 5].

Western Networks Security Index Summary The cybersecurity landscape features significant exploits, state-sponsored attacks, and new AI-driven safety measures.

• Researchers at Pwn2Own Automotive 2026 earned over $1 million for exploiting 76 zero-day vulnerabilities, including the Tesla Infotainment System [6]. • A security error by the INC ransomware gang allowed 12 U.S. organizations to successfully recover their stolen data [6]. • Microsoft Teams is adding brand impersonation warnings to alert users to potential social engineering calls [6]. • The Russian group Sandworm attempted a destructive malware attack on Poland’s power grid using a new wiper called “DynoWiper” [6]. • Konni hackers (North Korea) are using AI-generated malware to target engineers in the blockchain sector [6]. • The ShinyHunters gang is conducting voice phishing (vishing) attacks to steal SSO credentials from major platforms like Okta and Google [6]. • Cisco released a critical patch for a zero-day remote code execution vulnerability in its Webex Calling systems [6]. • OpenAI is deploying an age prediction model on ChatGPT to prevent the misuse of the platform by teenagers [6]. • The European Commission proposed a cybersecurity overhaul to mandate the removal of high-risk foreign suppliers from telecom networks [7]. • Malicious extensions in the VSCode Marketplace were found to have stolen data from 1.5 million installations [7].

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Proverb of the Day “My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change.” — Proverbs 24:21

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Sources Used: Daily Hacker News - https://news.ycombinator.com/ National Public Radio daily text feed - https://text.npr.org Western Networks Security Alert Index - https://www.westernnetworks.com/index4.php Book of Proverbs - Pereira Classics https://storage.googleapis.com/pereiraclassics/Uploads/Free%20eBooks/The-Book-of-Proverbs.pdf Book of Psalms - Pereira Classics https://storage.googleapis.com/pereiraclassics/Uploads/Free%20eBooks/The-Book-of-Psalms.pdf NLT Study Bible - Tyndale House Publishers https://files.tyndale.com/thpdata/firstChapters/978-1-4964-1665-0.pdf