I can’t have been the only one who added a few extra tins and bottles of water to my online shop this week. I caught my colleague popping a wind-up radio into his Amazon basket, too, while another friend called to ask if she really needed to buy 10 litres of bottled water and, if so, where on earth was she meant to store it? Of course, we were all just being good Girl Brownies after Wes Streeting issued new guidelines on what to stock up on in case disaster strikes.
Where the threat is coming from exactly, and when, is anyone’s guess. We’re not quite at the point of civilisational collapse depicted in the Hollywood film Leave the World Behind yet. It’s more a case of everything, everywhere, all at once, with hackers (human or AI), climate change and hybrid threats from the Russians, Iranians and Chinese – perhaps an alliance of all three, who knows – all threatening to knock out our critical infrastructure.
As we got a first taste of what that might be like when websites went dark last week, another problem emerged: major US banks were reporting unauthorised third-party AI agents operating inside customer accounts, with some agents apparently attempting to take actions independently of user instructions. It’s not for nothing that the Government is recommending we store some cash alongside our tins, says Chris Stokel-Walker, who looks at how safe our money really is.
Meanwhile, Chris Blackhurst says the real risk when it comes to AI and our money lies in the markets. He argues that the Anthropic draft share prospectus reveals just how exposed we all really are, and that the knock-on effects on global markets could be unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Read Chris’s analysis here.
The proverbial dashboard is also flashing red everywhere you look for Donald Trump. Alex Hannaford looks at why a Russian connection to one of the associates of one of his most loyal lieutenants, chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is causing gossip to swirl inside the White House. And Jon Sopel gives his verdict on how the president could react to a big Republican loss in the midterm elections. In normal times, elections are over when the polling stations close and the counting begins. Don’t bet on it, says Jon Sopel: lawyers for the Democratic Party are primed and preparing for the worst.
And Jon Sopel gives his verdict on how the president could react to a big Republican loss in the midterm elections. In normal times, elections are over when the polling stations close and the counting begins. Don’t bet on it, says Jon Sopel; lawyers for the Democratic Party are primed and preparing for the worst.
One person who has recently felt the sharp end of the president’s temper is The Independent’s Washington reporter Andrew Feinberg, who was warned to “be careful” in a furious dressing-down after asking a question the president didn’t like during an Oval Office event on Tuesday. Read what has happened since here.
And while the clock might be ticking down on the president, I hope the rest of you remembered to turn your own clocks back this morning. As storms hit and the days shorten, you may be wondering whether an unusually sunny summer means seasonal affective disorder will be worse this year. Charlotte Cripps talks to the experts. While, senior fitness expert Harry Bullmore, looks at how we can keep a healthy sleep routine on track here. For all those looking for sunnier climes to escape to, our travel team has put together a corking list of underrated gems to beat the winter blues.
On the other hand, I don’t doubt that many of you will be looking forward to the new cosy season. If so, Hannah Twiggs has the perfect autumn Sunday lunches for you. Raymond Blanc’s roast pork stuffed with prunes, coming right up
Until next weekend!
Victoria Harper
Executive Editor
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