In the middle of September, AI company and Claude developer Anthropic discovered “suspicious activity” while monitoring real-world cyberattacks that used artificial intelligence agents. Upon further investigation, however, the company came to realize that this activity was in fact a “highly sophisticated espionage campaign” and a watershed moment in cybersecurity.

AI agents weren’t just providing advice to the hackers, as expected.

‘The key was role-play: The human operators claimed that they were employees of legitimate cybersecurity firms.’

Anthropic’s Thursday report said the AI agents were executing the cyberattacks themselves, adding that it believed that this is the “first documented case of a large-scale cyberattack executed without substantial human intervention.”

RELATED: Coca-Cola doubles down on AI ads, still won’t say ‘Christmas’

Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The company’s investigation showed that the hackers, whom the report “assess[ed] with high confidence” to be a “Chinese-sponsored group” manipulated the AI agent Claude Code to run the cyberattack.

The innovation was, of course, not simply using AI to assist in the cyberattack; the hackers directed the AI agent to run the attack with minimal human input.

The human operator tasked instances of Claude Code to operate in groups as autonomous penetration testing orchestrators and agents, with the threat actor able to leverage AI to execute 80-90% of tactical operations independently at physically impossible request rates.

In other words, the AI agent was doing the work of a full team of competent cyberattackers, but in a fraction of the time.

While this is potentially a groundbreaking moment in cybersecurity, the AI agents were not 100% autonomous. They reportedly required human verification and struggled with hallucinations such as providing publicly available information. “This AI hallucination in offensive security contexts presented challenges for the actor’s operational effectiveness, requiring careful validation of all claimed results,” the analysis explained.

Anthropic reported that the attack targeted roughly 30 institutions around the world but did not succeed in every case.

The targets included technology companies, financial institutions, chemical manufacturing companies, and government agencies.

Interestingly, Anthropic said the attackers were able to trick Claude through sustained “social engineering” during the initial stages of the attack: “The key was role-play: The human operators claimed that they were employees of legitimate cybersecurity firms and convinced Claude that it was being used in defensive cybersecurity testing.”

The report also responded to a question that is likely on many people’s minds upon learning about this development: If these AI agents are capable of executing these malicious attacks on behalf of bad actors, why do tech companies continue to develop them?

In its response, Anthropic asserted that while the AI agents are capable of major, increasingly autonomous attacks, they are also our best line of defense against said attacks.

​Tech, Claude, Anthropic, China, Ai, Artificial intelligence, Hallucinations, Cybersecurity, Cyberattacks, Espionage 

Democrats are once again taking aim at President Donald Trump’s policies, but this time they are aiming toward one of his most popular campaign promises.

Trump debuted his “No Tax on Tips” policy on the 2024 campaign trail, which quickly earned the support of the majority of Americans irrespective of their political affiliation. The policy later made its way into Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Congress passed along party lines in July.

‘Nevadans know who put more money back in their pockets, and it wasn’t the Democrat frauds.’

Although Trump’s landmark legislation was rebuked by Democrats, some singled out the No Tax on Tips provision as a positive policy. Despite the bipartisan support, other Democrats continue to reject even this popular policy.

One Democratic operative offered a particularly tone-deaf criticism, calling the policy mere “crumbs.”

RELATED: Eric Swalwell offers melodramatic response to Trump DOJ probe: ‘I refuse to live in fear’

Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

“D.C. Republicans are giving temporary crumbs to working families,” Lindsay Reilly, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said of the provision, according to Politico. “Meanwhile, millions of families are at risk of losing their health care, hundreds of hospitals could close, and countless Americans could lose their jobs — all to pay for permanent tax cuts for billionaires.”

Not all Democrats share Reilly’s sentiments. Some Democrats actually support the idea of minimizing taxes on tips or even getting rid of them altogether. Rep. Steven Horsford (D) of Nevada — a state where many workers depend on tips — went so far as to create his own version of the legislation to address tax on tips, saying that “the Republicans got their bill wrong from the beginning.”

RELATED: Far-left Democrat spent thousands on luxury travel, including limousines and posh hotels, filings show

Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Because some “out-of-touch” Democrats like Horsford have tried to reclaim the idea of eliminating tax on tips, the National Republican Congressional Committee argued that effort is an indicator of the policy’s popularity.

“Nevadans know who put more money back in their pockets, and it wasn’t the Democrat frauds who are trying to claim credit,” Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for the NRCC, told Politico. “Out-of-touch Democrats Steven Horsford, Dina Titus, and Susie Lee can’t lie their way out of this one.”

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​Donald trump, Dccc, Nrcc, No tax on tips, One big beautiful bill, Trump administration, Democrats, Elitism, White house, Politico, Steven horsford, Politics 

“The entire world’s economy is on the top of a soup bubble. There has never in history been a failure of this kind of magnitude. All of the money in the world is gone. Where did it go? Who knows, but it’s gone.”

It’s been almost a decade and a half since conservative commentator Bill Whittle — railing against the Obama administration’s orgy of federal spending — offered this dire prognosis on national debt.

‘A default is an economic breakdown. It’s for real. We may never reclaim America’s position in the world.’

And those were the good old days — when America was a paltry $15 trillion in the red. By the time President Barack Obama left office in January 2017, the number had climbed to just shy of $20 trillion — $8.6 trillion more than when he took office in 2009.

Since then, we’ve experienced three administrations and the chaos of the COVID pandemic. The virus alone cost $4.7 trillion in total budgetary resources for the federal government.

As of October 21, the national debt now sits at an astounding $38 trillion, and all indications are that it will only continue to grow, with current projections suggesting it will hit $39 trillion by March 30.

A post-default world

Mark Minnella is the co-founder of the National Association of Christian Financial Consultants and the host of the faith-based radio show “Financial Issues.” He tells Align that America may be getting closer to a “point of no return” and warns that the path to a debt default will be painful and destructive.

“If the treasury of the country fails to pay creditors and obligations, or if interest payment goes unpaid, what you see is that trust immediately goes away in the currency. Markets panic. Interest rates rise,” says Minnella. And that’s when the real trouble begins:

When the world stops trusting our currency, the dollar loses its position in global trade as the global reserve. Then other nations will step into that vacuum, like the Chinese and Russians. That will erode American influence and leadership. Internally, we would see inflation as the dollar loses its trust. We’ll see the government having to print money to stay ahead. We’ll see a surge in the cost of mortgages and business loans, a decline in spending, housing, and companies failing. We’ll have serious economic pain. It’ll self-correct over time, but we’d lose our position as world leaders.

As is often the case, those clinging to the bottom rung of the economic ladder will get hit hardest, warns Minnella. “Especially for those people who are the weakest and most vulnerable, our most impoverished people will be hurt the worst. It hurts them more than anybody else because they don’t have a little more to spend.”

More than political theater

The recently ended government shutdown has given many Americans a painful preview of what happens when the money spigot turns off. Hundreds of thousands of employees have gone unpaid, government services have been limited, and SNAP benefits have been threatened. Even for those not directly affected, financial insecurity looms and the future looks uncertain.

But to Minnella, a debt default would make the last 40-something days look like a vacation.

“I don’t think [default] looks like a government shutdown. That looks like inconvenience and political theater,” he tells Align.

“A default is an economic breakdown. It’s for real. We may never reclaim America’s position in the world. The shutdown wasn’t really a danger. The danger is a Congress that refuses to stop spending.”

Minnella is far from alone in his fears. Just last week, noted economist Kent Smetters predicted that the U.S. could hit a breaking point with interest payments as soon as 2045 and offered this grim observation: “Almost every empire has been taken down by debt.” Even JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has raised alarms, warning in September, “Like most problems, it’s better to deal with it than let it happen.”

Bipartisan boondoggle

While President Trump has made some noise in addressing the debt through DOGE cuts and tariff dividends, it hasn’t curbed federal spending enough to make a difference. He did declare on Monday that tariff income would be used to “SUBSTANTIALLY PAY DOWN NATIONAL DEBT,” but this year’s tariff revenue is just $195 billion, and the majority of that money is set to go to $2,000 taxpayer dividends. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act also cost $3.4 trillion in spending.

According to Minnella, the skyrocketing national debt is a shared disgrace for both major political parties, neither of whom have the will to explain federal belt-tightening to their constituents.

“It’s not Republican or Democrat,” he says. “It’s Washington in general. And as much as it’s a problem, it’s also part of the solution.”

RELATED: The right needs bigger ideas than tax cuts

Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Spines wanted

Unfortunately, those in power — whether the MAGA right or the socialist left — seem unlikely to rise to the occasion.

“We don’t have adults in Congress anymore who care about our nation,” says Minnella. “We have politicians who care about their careers. They don’t want to cut any spending that might cause somebody to vote against them. They want to encourage as much spending as possible.”

Which means fiscal responsibility is ultimately up to voters.

“We need to start electing people with a spine who aren’t there for themselves. We need to vote them out and hold them accountable,” says Minnella.

“We need to speak the truth … that we’re almost out of time,” he continues. “American citizens need to take back their power and force out people who will not listen.”

​National debt, Mark minnella, National association of christian financial consultants, Faith, Lifestyle, Bipartisan, Spending, Spending cuts, Align interview 

A recent bridge collapse in China was an obvious design failure, according to experts.

The Hongqi Bridge in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan crumbled on Tuesday, just months after opening; it linked a national highway with Tibet.

‘Efforts should have focused on slope management.’

According to Reuters, police in the city of Maerkang had closed the bridge to all traffic the day before when significant cracking appeared on nearby slopes, which eventually led to landslide.

The 758-meter-long bridge collapse was captured on video and caught the eye of several experts, including Casey Jones, a geotechnical engineer with over 35 years under his belt while being licensed in six states.

“I could just tell you almost certainly that this is a design failure,” Jones stated in a review of the incident.

The design likely did not account for the orientation of the bedding planes for the underlying rock, Jones said, adding, “Whether they had planned to do any stabilization efforts like rock bolts and that sort of thing is not clear at this point.”

Slope orientation and the surrounding environment was the main cause of concern for most who showed knowledge on the subject, which included an alleged bridge expert cited by Chinese state media. In careful comments, the expert did not offer any words of praise either.

RELATED: What a Westerner sees in China: What you need to know

“If the Hongqi Bridge route is the optimal one, then efforts should have focused on slope management,” the expert told Jimu News, a Chinese state-owned outlet, per the Straits Times.

The expert said that typically a geological survey should be done to select the proper sites for bridge construction and measure if an area is prone to landslides. Bridge sites must avoid these types of potential environmental hazards, the expert reportedly added.

Christopher Blume, who posted a viral take on the bridge collapse citing his experience with failing Chinese infrastructure, told Return that he was a professor at Peking University in Beijing for nine years, having moved to China due to his wife’s architecture work.

“I think in general the idea of Chinese infrastructure being poor quality is true,” Blume explained.

As simple examples, he pointed to a lack of p-traps in bathroom plumbing, which act as a water barrier against harmful and odorous gases coming back up through the pipes. Apartments are also poorly constructed, he claimed, with his own having near half-inch gaps around the windows; his wife fixed this with duct tape, he said.

RELATED: This city bought 300 Chinese electric buses — then found out China can turn them off at will

Hongqi Bridge over the Songhua River is under construction on April 1, 2024, in Jilin City, Jilin Province of China. (Photo by Zhang Jingfeng/VCG via Getty Images)

“In China, price is everything. So whether it is corruption, cutting corners on safety, etc., you name it, the ethos was always build it, and don’t worry about the details,” Blume continued. “Yeah, the bridge was obviously built in an area with landslide risk, but a) if that’s the case, it should never have been built there with such obvious landslide risk, and b) it clearly was not built to deal with any serious natural disaster risk.”

Colloquially, many more blamed the bridge collapse on a lack of fortification and neglect when it comes to the placement of abutments.

Other X users pointed to possible serious flaws in structural integrity.

According to Blume, a lack of skilled tradesmen is a common issue, with safety violations rampant as workers are pulled in from the countryside.

According to China, though, there is an alleged abundance of skilled labor. As reported by Xinhua News, the country boasts more than 200 million skilled workers as of May 2024, which includes “over 60 million highly skilled professionals.”

The World Economic Forum stated in 2021 that high-skilled personnel are defined as being capable of “performing complicated tasks” while being able to “adapt quickly to technology changes.”

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Amid Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s initiative to make our food healthy again, one major company has announced some new products stripped down to the “fundamentals” to please the MAHA crowd.

PepsiCo announced Thursday that it has developed a new line of Cheetos and Doritos without the artificial petroleum-based dyes — the ingredients that give them their intense color.

‘NKD is an additive option, not a replacement, introduced to meet consumer demand.’

While the old recipes are not going anywhere, PepsiCo announced the release of a new collection of snacks called Simply NKD, notably without the artificial dyes.

The press release boasts that the development process for these new snacks “came to life in just eight weeks.”

RELATED: MAHA agenda scores major win with announcement from food giant

Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

“Rest assured, our iconic Cheetos and Doritos remain unchanged. NKD is an additive option, not a replacement, introduced to meet consumer demand,” says Rachel Ferdinando, CEO of PepsiCo Foods U.S. “This move underscores our commitment to flavor leadership, demonstrating that our taste remains strong even without visual cues. As part of our broader transformation, we are expanding choices while still protecting our iconic brands. More choices, same flavor, same brand power.”

The new chips come in familiar flavors. Doritos will have Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese, and Cheetos will have Puffs and Flamin’ Hot.

The new snacks appear to be a pale yellow, not the vibrant colors of the old recipe.

While the new Simply NKD varieties are supposed to taste like the originals, they will have shorter ingredient lists. As the AP reported, the new products do not have flavor-enhancing ingredients disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, for example.

PepsiCo joins a growing list of companies that have removed or begun to phase out artificial ingredients from their foods lately. In-N-Out, Tyson Foods, Kraft Heinz, and McCormick have made similar commitments previously, to name a few.

These commitments come after the Food and Drug Administration banned Red No. 3 just before the beginning of Trump’s second term.

In response to a request for comment, HHS referred Blaze News to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s July 19, 2025, celebration of PepsiCo’s previous announcement that it planned to remove artificial colors and flavors from Lay’s and Tostitos.

At the time, RFK said, “PepsiCo just announced it will eliminate artificial colors and flavors from Lay’s and Tostitos by year’s end — and expand the use of avocado and olive oil in place of canola and soybean oil. I urge every other food company to follow their lead and join the movement to Make America Healthy Again.”

The new chips will be available in stores on December 1.

Editor’s note: The headline of this article was edited after publication for clarity.

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Like most major broadcast networks, ESPN isn’t known for being friendly to those with conservative beliefs.

But in honor of Veterans Day, Pat McAfee had President Donald Trump on his show to discuss the government shutdown, college football, and the NFL kickoff.

“I want you to picture McAfee calling Burke or Jimmy and saying, ‘Listen, White House just called,’ or ‘I have a contact there and they said I could have Trump on Veterans Day. Cool?’ And they said, ‘No.’ Can you imagine them telling him no?” BlazeTV contributor and former ESPN host Sage Steele tells BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock.

“Like that’s not happening. It’s impossible. And Pat knows that, and he did right. There’s just no way in hell that that happens that they tell Pat no about anything,” she continues, noting that McAfee has also been “vocal, critical, about this fight between ESPN, Disney, and YouTube.”

“He’s saying whatever he wants. That man has no rules. And I think it’s hysterical because I’m picturing being a fly on the wall watching the executives melt down as this interview happened yesterday. But they could not tell him no,” she adds.

“ESPN needs that. They need someone that’s outside their control,” Whitlock comments.

“This helps them, in their minds, probably, balance things out a little bit, right?” Steele asks. “And say, ‘Yeah, we might be woke and idiots on pretty much every single topic. But we have McAfee over here talking to Donald Trump. So see? We’re not that bad.’”

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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The Trump administration has designated several Antifa groups as foreign terrorist organizations.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in September that declared Antifa a domestic “terrorist threat,” claiming that the group “explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law.”

‘The United States will continue using all available tools to protect our nation from these anti-American, anti-capitalist, and anti-Christian terrorist groups.’

The EO accused the anarchist group of using “illegal means” to launch “a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide,” including obstructing the enforcement of laws and routinely doxxing political figures.

Trump’s action called on federal agencies to “investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations” tied to Antifa. However, designating the enterprise as a foreign terrorist organization would allow for more enforcement options, including making it a federal crime to provide material support to the group.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that four European Antifa-affiliated groups — Antifa Ost in Germany, Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front in Italy, and Greek-based groups Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense — were named “Specially Designated Global Terrorists.”

RELATED: If Trump labels Antifa a foreign terrorist organization, here’s what he can do next

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Rubio noted that the department “intends to designate all four groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, effective November 20, 2025.”

Antifa Ost has committed multiple attacks in Germany between 2018 and 2023 against those it considers “fascists” or part of the country’s “right-wing scene,” a State Department fact sheet about the latest announcement read.

FAI/FRI, which also has affiliates across Europe, South America, and Asia, has reportedly claimed responsibility for “threats of violence, bombs, and letter bombs against political and economic institutions.”

The State Department said that the Armed Proletarian Justice “has attempted and conducted improvised explosive device (IED) attacks against Greek government targets.” It previously claimed responsibility for planting a bomb near a police headquarters in Greece.

Revolutionary Class Self-Defense also reportedly took responsibility for two IED attacks in Greece.

RELATED: Trump designates Antifa as a ‘MAJOR’ terrorist organization — and can likely make the label stick this time

Photographer: Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“Groups affiliated with this movement ascribe to revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies, including anti-Americanism, ‘anti-capitalism,’ and anti-Christianity, using these to incite and justify violent assaults domestically and overseas,” the State Department said.

“Today, building on @POTUS’s historic commitment to uproot Antifa’s campaign of political violence, the Department of State is designating four Antifa groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The United States will continue using all available tools to protect our nation from these anti-American, anti-capitalist, and anti-Christian terrorist groups,” Rubio wrote in a post on social media.

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