Your Daily News Digest – August 21, 2025

Your Daily News Digest

August 21, 2025

Military preparing attacks on Mexican cartels

Northern Command (NORTHCOM) is preparing for strikes by September. The plan focuses on Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels. Special operations will conduct operational preparation inside Mexico.

These brain implants speak your mind – even when you don’t want to

Devices decode imagined speech with 74% accuracy from 125,000-word vocabulary. Privacy measures include ignoring inner speech signals. Similar brain patterns for thinking and speaking words pose risks.

Small waterfront community dethrones Beverly Hills as richest ZIP code

Gables Estates in Miami has median home value of $21 million. Florida hosts seven of top ten expensive zip codes. Beverly Hills now ranks fourth nationally.

Armed drones to be deployed at schools to stop mass shooters

Drones deploy in 5 seconds and engage in 15 seconds. Use pepper rounds and ramming to incapacitate. Piloted remotely from Texas command center.

Moscow threatens to seize more of Ukraine

Putin considers creating sanitary zone in Ukraine. Claims Ukraine lost 160 tanks in counteroffensive. Reiterates accusation of Ukraine blowing up Kakhovka dam.

Scientist uses ‘a billion butterflies’ to predict weather

Experiment shows ocean temperatures more influential than small perturbations. Proved seasonal forecasting possible despite chaos theory. Led to better monsoon predictions in India.

Reading for pleasure falls by 40%

Daily leisure reading dropped from 28% in 2004 to 16% in 2023. Steeper declines among Black Americans and rural residents. Time spent reading increased slightly for those who do read.

Cocaine business booming as never before

Global production reached 2,000 tons in 2020. Demand highest in North America at 30%. New trafficking hubs emerging in West Africa.

Gabbard axes nearly half of spy agency staff in deep state shake-up

ODNI reducing staff by 40% to 1,300 employees. Saves $700 million annually. Eliminates Foreign Malign Influence Center as redundant.

Updated: August 21, 2025, 13:27 EDT