Scientists in the U.S. recently announced that for the very first time, they were able to use AI to create viruses never before seen in nature. Don’t worry, though: these new viruses were designed to target specific strains of E.coli bacteria that have become resistant to natural antibacterials.

This development marks a major milestone in the field of synthetic biology, and it opens the door to potential rapid advancements in human healthcare. Maybe these AIs can develop never-before-seen cures to horrible diseases.

However, on the flip side, I think after living through the early 2020s ... we can all imagine how this can go horribly wrong.

So today, let’s go through the details of these newly created AI real-world viruses together.

Today, we do a round up of three stories. First, a former acting U.S. attorney was found dead in his office in a federal building in California. Second, the USPS just issued new rules regarding mail-in ballot envelopes. Last, the State Department has issued travel advisories regarding three countries. Let’s go through it all together.

In just 48 hours, a coordinated cyberattack disrupted the digital controls of water systems across more than 30 Minnesota communities, forcing operators to switch to manual backup to keep pumps, valves, and treatment systems running without any data theft, financial loss, or ransom demands.

The incident, which remains—officially, at least—without a named suspect, highlights the longstanding vulnerabilities in local U.S. water infrastructure. Let's go through the details of the attack, as well as some of the possible culprits.