NPR News: 07-31-2026 2PM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
What did the FBI say about recent cyberattacks on U.S. water systems?
The FBI confirms Minnesota is not alone in finding that hackers have attacked its water sector. Federal investigators say several states have been affected. So far, the impacts appear limited, as NPR's Jenna McLaughlin reports.
The FBI says cyber attacks are targeting machines responsible for monitoring and controlling water treatment plants across the country.
Which water control devices were targeted and what damage occurred?
In at least seven states, unidentified hackers have tampered with devices called programmable logic controllers, interfering with water operators' ability to monitor their systems, and in some cases causing pressure loss and flooding. The FBI recommends operators disconnect these devices from the Internet. Cybersecurity experts tell NPR that there isn't conclusive evidence who's behind it, but the attacks are consistent with activity from Iranian hacking groups. A water cybersecurity organization notes that threats to water operators might be elevated right now, as Iran could seek retaliation for U.S. strikes.
Jen McLaughlin, NPR News. The Justice Department is increasingly charging ICE protesters with conspiracy, which can lead to years in federal prison. NPR's Meg Anderson reports many of these conspiracy cases have been dismissed, but some protesters have been convicted.
NPR looked at the use of one charge, conspiracy to impede or injure an officer, over the last five years. The statute has been used infrequently historically, but since 2025, the DOJ has charged more than three dozen people with it in at least 10 different states. All of them involve people protesting ICE. Aaron Turr, with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, says some of these cases involve things like property destruction.
But some defendants aren't accused of personally engaging in that conduct. So the concern there is that the government may be casting too wide a net.
In a statement, the DOJ told NPR that federal prosecutors are right to prioritize these cases and that people should not mistake impeding officers with peaceful protest. Meg Anderson, NPR News.
President Trump says his Board of Peace has brokered an agreement with the militant group Hamas to disarm in Gaza. Hamas was circumspect in its response. NPR's Emily Fang with more.
A Hamas official told NPR after Trump's announcement they would only give up their weapons if Israel follows a ceasefire agreement from last October, including, quote, withdrawal from Gaza first. Israel, meanwhile, has insisted it will not withdraw until Hamas disarms first. Its military has increased the amount of territory it occupies to about two-thirds the area of Gaza. And in the nearly 10 months after the ceasefire, Israeli strikes and attacks have killed more than 1,100 people in Gaza. A U.S. brokered 20-point peace plan also stipulated Hamas would hand its weapons over to an international police force and a new government of technocrats who would take over the running of Gaza. But neither has fully materialized.
Emily Fang, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
This is NPR News. The State Department is apologizing for mislabeling all six countries it named on a map of Africa slide. At a global AIDS conference this week, more from Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg.
Coastal Nigeria is landlocked. Mozambique has been transported from southern Africa to the Horn of Africa.
Who might be responsible for the water sector hacks and what guidance did experts give?
An ivory coast has shifted from West Africa across the continent to East Africa. Those are among some of the errors on a State Department slide that was part of a presentation at an AIDS conference in Brazil. Reuters news agency said its analysis found evidence the slide had been made using artificial intelligence. The State Department apologized for the, quote, unfortunate error and confusion caused. On social media, former State Department officials and some Democrats blamed substantial personnel cuts at the department during President Trump's second term for the bungle. Kate Bartlett, NPR News, Johannesburg.
A set of Civil War-era cannonballs almost made it on a plane. The Transportation Security Administration details a statement today.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:05
2
What did the FBI say about recent cyberattacks on U.S. water systems?
0:05–0:25
3
Which water control devices were targeted and what damage occurred?
0:25–3:21
4
Who might be responsible for the water sector hacks and what guidance did experts give?
3:21–4:59