The Radical — Wednesday, 13 May 2026

High-contrast black-and-white documentary photograph of a man in a sharp suit, face partially obscured by shadows, sitting at a mahogany table in a sterile government hearing room. Harsh fluorescent lighting illuminates beads of sweat on his forehead and a stack of manila folders. 4K HDR, grainy editorial style, low angle.

Articles #

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Lutnick Sweats Through House Probe Into Epstein Ties #

Howard Lutnick sat in a closed-door hearing room on Wednesday. The US Commerce Secretary faced a three-hour interrogation by the House Oversight Committee. He answered questions about his proximity to Jeffrey Epstein. Records released by the Justice Department show Lutnick continued writing to Epstein long after a 2005 conviction for soliciting a minor. Lutnick previously told a podcast audience that he and his wife decided to never be in a room with Epstein again after a single visit. The documentary…

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Brutalist concrete office building with rows of identical windows under a natural overcast light. A solitary glowing computer screen is visible through one window, displaying cascading green text. 4K HDR, wide-angle lens, desaturated colour grading.

Tech Elite Purge Human Engineers With Vibe Coding #

Boris Cherny, the head of Claude Code, sat in his office this week and declared he is sick of the term vibe coding. This phrase, coined by Andrej Karpathy, describes a world where non-technical users prompt AI to build software. Cherny told Business Insider he wants a new term. He…

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Trump Mining Firm Bleeds Millions Despite Record Production #

American Bitcoin reported a net loss of $81.79 million on May 6. The company, which has deep ties to the Trump family, generated only $62.12 million in revenue during the first quarter. These losses arrived despite the firm mining 817 Bitcoin. This was its highest quarterly production on record. Nasdaq…

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Ammunition Workers Win Raise After Month Long Strike #

1,300 workers returned to the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant on May 7. The members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ended a month-long strike in Independence,…

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Supreme Court Hands Alabama GOP Power To Purge Districts #

Governor Kay Ivey signed a new law in Alabama to allow for revised House primaries. The move follows a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling on Monday. The justices vacated a lower-court…

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In Brief #

Florida Representative Accused of Stealing FEMA Funds

Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of stealing $5 million in FEMA disaster relief. The Justice Department alleges she used the taxpayer money to fund her 2021 congressional campaign.

Mojtaba Khamenei Emerges as Iran’s Invisible War Leader

U.S. intelligence officials believe Mojtaba Khamenei is playing a central role in Iran’s war strategy. Despite uncertainty over his location, he remains at the center of the new power architecture following Israeli strikes on the previous leadership.

Ukraine Strikes Deep Inside Russia With Flamingo Missile

Ukraine successfully tested its indigenously developed Flamingo cruise missile, striking a military target 1,500km away in the Chuvash Republic. This pivot to sovereign arms production signals Ukraine's intent to become an exporter to the Gulf markets.

Icelandair Cancels Flights Amid National Pilot Shortage

Icelandair canceled services to Seattle and Copenhagen this week after failing to secure replacement pilots. The pilots' union claims the disruptions are unrelated to ongoing wage disputes with the carrier.