Section: Vox (USA)
A strange new kind of ransomware is sweeping the internet
On Tuesday, Windows computers — first in Ukraine, later across Europe and the United States — began to show users a message that looked something like this: This is called ransomware, a relatively new form of malware that scrambles a victim’s files and then demands a payment to unscramble them. Attacks like this have become an increasingly...
Vox Sentences: Who’s afraid of Margrethe Vestager?
Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world, curated by Ella Nilsen. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions. The European Union comes down hard on Google; Europe gets hit with another ransomware attack; a...
Ukraine reacted to the biggest hack in its history with a GIF of a dog in a room on fire
“This is fine.” Ukraine was just hit by a sweeping cyberattack that paralyzed operations in major government agencies, including the country’s national bank, state power company, and largest airport. Government officials have been locked out of their computers, ATMs across the country aren’t working and travelers in the Kiev airport...
Trump is destroying America’s image around the world
It might seem like a subjective judgment to say that Donald Trump is wrecking America’s image. But a new Pew poll of 37 countries shows that this is measurable reality: Perceptions of the United States have collapsed since President Trump took office. Pew asked people in countries ranging from Canada to Brazil to Russia whether they had...
Sergey Kislyak, the ambassador at the center of the Trump-Russia scandals, is going home
That’s bad news for US-Russian relations. When it comes to Donald Trump’s Russia scandals, one man has been squarely at the center of them all: Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was forced out after lying about his communications with Kislyak in December. Attorney General Jeff...
Don’t look now, but the US-Russia relationship is getting very bad
Trump wanted better ties with Russia. He isn’t getting it. The Trump administration wants a better relationship with Russia. The problem is that Russia increasingly looks like it doesn’t want one — and is actively taking steps that are pushing that relationship to a new low. The latest came today, when the Russian Foreign Ministry...
Oliver Stone’s Vladimir Putin interviews are accidentally revelatory
The director wants to find the humanity in the Russian leader. Too bad he’s not a better interviewer. Every Sunday, we pick a new episode of the week. It could be good. It could be bad. It will always be interesting. You can read the archives here. The episode of the week for June 11 through 17 is Showtime’s four-part miniseries The...
Vox Sentences: The UK also has a Russia problem. Twinsies!
Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world, curated by Ella Nilsen. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions. Amazon bets big on the grocery biz; Putin critics mysteriously turn up dead in the UK; Trump...
McCain presses Sessions on why he didn’t take a harder line with Russia
McCain wasn’t sleepy for this one. Though most of the fireworks took place earlier in the hearing, some of the most important questions Attorney General Jeff Sessions faced during his Senate Intelligence Committee testimony today actually came at the very end, from Republican Sen. John McCain. The GOP lawmaker from Arizona asked Sessions a...
3 winners and 4 losers from the stunning UK election
LONDON — Most of the United Kingdom appears to be in shock. Prime Minister Theresa May, once considered a virtual lock to dominate the 2017 election, actually lost 12 seats in the UK’s Parliament — enough to no longer control a majority. The Labour Party, led by left-wing insurgent Jeremy Corbyn, gained nearly 30. It’s a stunning...
