GROK RUN AMOK: Many people do their best thinking of the day while driving to work. And some folks, apparently, the worst. Someone recently posted a video on X showing himself using the “Grok” AI language tool while driving his Tesla into a highly-secure National Security Agency facility. Elon Musk reposted the video, gaining it nearly 14 million views when last checked. The video shows the man’s vehicle entering “a sensitive federal complex located in Linthicum, Maryland, where thousands of intelligence professionals and cleared contractors work in relative obscurity” according to CNN. U.S. Cyber Command is said to be investigating the incident, which sources said was very ill-advised. (Ya’ think?) The video showed the exterior parking lot where other drivers park their cars. Not all of whom may want that kind of public attention. The driver was not identified in the CNN story but we’re pretty sure the NSA can figure out who drives Teslas into their facilities. Right?
FROM SERVICE TO SECURITY: MOSSAD WELCOMES NATIONAL SERVICE VOLUNTEERS: The Israeli intelligence agency has launched for the first time a recruiting campaign aimed at enticing a small number of women who perform national service (an option for those not wishing to join the Israeli Defense Force) to work for the Mossad. According to Ynet News, national service (known as “sherut leumi” in Hebrew) is typically chosen by religious Jewish women who volunteer “to work in hospitals, schools, welfare offices or emergency services.” Some of those national service volunteers are being recruited to work in Mossad “in roles spanning technology, digital operations, intelligence gather and administrative support.” It’s a two-year program but spies tell us that the hope is that some of the volunteers will stick around for a lot longer.
HOPE THEY DON’T VOTE WITH THEIR FEET: According to the most recent available figures (from 2023) there were 225,119 women on active duty in the U.S. military. So when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently reposted on social media a video that included Doug Wilson, the cofounder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), saying that women shouldn’t be allowed to vote, we held our collective breath. Hegseth’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, told AP that the SECDEF is “a proud member of a church” affiliated with CREC and that he “very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings.” The Pentagon later clarified that the Secretary does in fact, support women’s right to vote. Phew.
COMMAND APPEARANCE: The U.S. Air Force Academy has restored the requirement for all members of their cadet wing to attend all home football games. It had long been the tradition at USAFA, just as it has been at West Point and Annapolis, that football Saturdays were an “all hands on deck” occasion (to borrow a Navy term.) Last year, for some reason, the rules in Colorado Springs were loosened and cadets were only required to show up on Parent’s Day Weekend and for home games against service rivals. Only half the wing showed up for the other four home games. The Denver Gazette says flying on a half wing is no more and Academy officials say this season Falcon stadium will have a full complement of cadets at every opportunity. If only we could replicate that rule for other events. Yeah. We could have fun with this.
ARE YOU GOING TO SCARBOROUGH SHOAL? The Chinese military claimed recently that it “drove away” a U.S. Navy destroyer sailing near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. The USN said “Nope” asserting that the USS HIGGINS was just asserting “navigational rights and freedoms” that are consistent with international law.” China insists it owns the water around the shoal while most of the rest of the world insists they do not. Exploring other reasons why the HIGGINS chose its charted path, maybe it was looking to avoid what happened a day earlier when a Chinese warship and coast guard vessel collided with each other while trying to shoo away a Philippine coast guard ship. The whole thing was caught on video and resulted in a major fender bender that caused serious damage to the Chinese vessel and (we’re betting) Chinese pride.
ENTERTAIN ME: An inside look at the sometimes brilliant, sometimes train wreck collisions between Hollywood and Washington:
ANGELINA IS AT IT AGAIN: Angelina Jolie is suiting up for yet another spy gig in The Initiative, with Doug Liman calling the shots at Universal. This time, she’s not the sleek assassin of Mr. and Mrs. Smith but rather the kind of mentor who’ll train you by throwing you off a cliff just to see if you climb back up. (C’mon, we’ve all had bosses like that.) The pitch is basically Training Day in the espionage world. Liman and Jolie haven’t teamed up since she tried to blow up Brad Pitt on screen twenty years ago.
BOURNE AGAIN: Speaking of Doug Liman, the Bourne Identity director had to utilize some tradecraft of his own in the late 90s to secure the initial rights tot our favorite Matt Damon series. Well now, NBCUniversal just dropped a nine-figure check to lock down every Bourne right that isn’t printed on paper, keeping the spy franchise neatly tucked under its roof where it’s already milked $1.64 billion from five films. Translation: brace yourself for a “John Wick but with amnesia” expansion—think TV series, spin-offs, and whatever else can be merchandised without Matt Damon rolling his eyes too hard.
‘I FEEL THE NEED…FOR PART THREE’ – Paramount Skydance Corp.’s new CEO David Ellison apparently feels the need for more speed because he made clear this week that Top Gun 3 will be on the playlist for newly-merged company as one of the franchise films he’s invested in seeing through. Others included Star Trek and the ever-present national security risk of zombies taking over the world in a future World War Z part two.
A QUICK ASSASSINATION: Apple TV+ thinks it’s found its next slow-burn spy obsession: Barry Eisler’s John Rain novels are coming to the screen, courtesy of Shōgun producer Tom Winchester’s Pure Fiction TV and Slow Horses studio See-Saw Films. The 14-part series will follow Rain, an ex-CIA assassin who specializes in making his targets look like they died of “totally natural” causes. If Apple plays this right, it could turn into their next prestige franchise. If they don’t, well… we’ll just call it Slow Murders.
POCKET LITTER: Dead Droplets and bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
CYBERTRUCK SALES ARE BOOMING: Well, sorta. Stars and Stripes reported recently that the U.S. Air Force wants to purchase two Tesla Cybertrucks to use as ‘targets’. It seems someone in the USAF is worried that potential U.S. adversaries may buy the Musk-made machines and use them on the battlefield. So, the Air Force wants to buy a couple that it can use to test precision-guided munitions on. The justification listed in federal contracting documents sounds like an ad for the odd appearing vehicles: “The Cybertruck’s aggressively angular and futuristic design, paired with its unpainted stainless steel exoskeleton, sets it apart from competitors typically using painted steel or aluminum bodies,” some budgeteer wrote in contract documents. “Additionally, its 48V electrical architecture provides superior power and efficiency, a feature that rivals are only beginning to develop.” Sounds like some DOGE-bro has infiltrated Air Force procurement. Of course – if you’re not in a hurry – some Telsa’s allegedly have been known to blow themselves up.
IF YOU HAVE ANY SHARP ANGLES ON NEWS OTHER CIPHER BRIEF READERS WOULD FIND EXPLOSIVE. SEND NEWS TIPS TO: TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com
