# Morning Briefing

Tuesday, May 13, 2026
📰 Top Stories

## US Inflation Surged to 3.8% in April — Highest in Nearly Three Years

Ground News · 243 sources · Left 21% · Center 56% · Right 22%
Consumer prices jumped 3.8% year-over-year in April, driven largely by surging gas prices tied to the Iran war. Producer prices rose 6%, adding further pressure. The data virtually guarantees the Fed will hold rates steady.
economyiran-warinflation

## Asia Braces for Second Wave of Energy Shocks from the Iran War

AP News · global impact
The Iran war is rippling far beyond the Middle East — Asian economies face mounting energy disruptions as oil supply tightens and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains contested.
iran-warenergyasia

## Gunfire Erupts Inside Philippine Senate as Police Try to Arrest Senator

NPR · Reuters
Shots rang out inside the Philippine Senate during an attempt to arrest a senator wanted by the ICC. The dramatic escalation highlights the country's deepening political crisis.
philippinesinternational

## Trump and Xi to Weigh Tariff Cuts on $30B of Imports

Reuters · AP · multiple sources
The Trump-Xi summit looms with managed trade push, but deep tech rivalry and distrust may blunt progress. Covered across every major outlet with divergent framing on what "success" looks like.
tradechinageopolitics
💻 Tech

## Googlebook — Google Announces Android-Powered Laptops

Hacker News · 855 pts · 1398 comments · also covered by Ars Technica
Google revealed "Googlebooks" — Android-powered laptops arriving this year. Also announced: a big AI overhaul for Android in 2026. The HN discussion is massive and split between excitement and skepticism.
googleandroidhardware

## CERT Releases Six CVEs for Serious dnsmasq Vulnerabilities

Hacker News · 347 pts · 180 comments · self-hosting relevance
Six serious security flaws in dnsmasq, the widely-used DNS/DHCP server. If you run dnsmasq (many home labs and self-hosted setups do), patch immediately. The HN thread has good technical analysis.
securityself-hostingdns

## Show HN: Needle — Gemini Tool Calling Distilled into a 26M Parameter Model

Hacker News · 550 pts · 157 comments
Cactus Compute distilled Gemini's tool-calling capability into a tiny 26M parameter model. A compelling demo of how small, focused models can punch way above their weight for specific tasks.
aiopen-sourcellm

## Restore Full BambuNetwork Support for Bambu Lab Printers

Hacker News · 548 pts · 242 comments
Community project restoring cloud features for Bambu Lab 3D printers after the company's restrictive firmware changes. Relevant if you're running a Bambu X1 (like John). OrcaSlicer fork with full network support.
3d-printingright-to-repairself-hosting

## WhatsApp Launches "Incognito Chat" — Private AI Chat Mode

Techmeme · Wired
WhatsApp introduced Incognito Chat, built on Meta's "Private Processing" framework. The company says it can't access these AI chats — a notable privacy play for the world's largest messaging platform.
privacymessagingai
🌍 Wider Lens

## Japanese Snack Packages Turning Black-and-White as Iran War Depletes Ink Supply

NPR · AP News · striking visual story
Calbee's iconic bright-orange chip bags are going monochrome — the Iran war has disrupted supply of a key color ink ingredient. A visceral, small-scale reminder of how global conflict reaches into everyday life.
iran-warsupply-chainjapan

## UK Elections Show Populist Uprising Is Far From Over

Reason · also AP: Starmer defiant as ministers quit
Starmer faces growing calls for resignation and ministerial departures. King Charles just delivered the government's agenda as the Labour government hangs by a thread. Reform's surge signals lasting political realignment.
ukpolitics

## Taiwan's Chips Power the Global Economy. China Holds the Leverage.

Rest of World · ahead of Trump-Xi summit
Big Tech's reliance on TSMC makes the China-Taiwan dispute the world's most dangerous geopolitical flashpoint. Eyck Freymann's analysis ahead of this week's Beijing summit is essential context for understanding the semiconductor stakes.
semiconductorsgeopoliticschina
🔥 HN Deep Reads

## Why Senior Developers Fail to Communicate Their Expertise

Hacker News · 674 pts · 291 comments
Strikes at the heart of a real problem for senior ICs: the gap between knowing and explaining. The HN thread is packed with people sharing their own failures and strategies — worth reading the discussion.
careercommunicationengineering

## I Moved My Digital Stack to Europe

Hacker News · 398 pts · 284 comments
A designer's detailed account of migrating email, storage, and services away from US tech giants to European providers. The 284-comment thread is a goldmine of recommendations for self-hosters and privacy-conscious folks.
privacyself-hostingsovereignty

## Why I'm Leaving GitHub for Forgejo

Hacker News · 158 pts · 112 comments
Another developer jumps from GitHub to self-hosted Forgejo. The thread debates whether this is principled or impractical — relevant given we run Forgejo ourselves.
open-sourceforgejoself-hosting
🎮 Gaming

## Subnautica 2 Unofficial Builds Circulating Online Days Before Early Access

Rock Paper Shotgun
Unknown Worlds confirmed leaked builds of Subnautica 2 are making the rounds just days before the ocean survival sequel's early access launch. Consider this your heads-up if you want to go in clean.
subnauticaleaks

## Sega's "Super Game" Is Dead, But Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi Reboots Live On

Rock Paper Shotgun
Sega's ambitious "Super Game" initiative is no more, but the Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi reboots — the ones people actually care about — are still in development.
segaretroreboot

## Forza Horizon 6 Leaks Were Not a Pre-Load Issue — Playground Threatens Bans

Rock Paper Shotgun
Playground Games says the Forza Horizon 6 leak wasn't from a pre-load glitch and is threatening franchise-wide and hardware bans for anyone sharing footage. The game's reveal is imminent.
forzaleaksxbox
⚖️ Bias Check

## US Inflation Hit 3.8% — How Coverage Frames It

Ground News · 243 sources · Left 21% · Center 56% · Right 22%
Left outlets emphasize the Iran war's role in gas prices and hardship on families. Right outlets highlight government spending and the failure of Biden-era policies. Center coverage focuses on the Fed's likely rate hold and data mechanics. The divergence on root cause is sharp.
economybiasinflation

## FDA Commissioner Makary Resigns — Framing Splits on Vape Policy vs. Political Pressure

Ground News · 241 sources · Left 27% · Center 53% · Right 18%
Left outlets frame Makary's resignation as the Trump admin forcing flavored e-cig approvals over science. Right outlets emphasize Makary's personal stance and bureaucratic resistance. Reason covers it as irrational resistance to harm reduction. The real story is more nuanced — Makary bucked the admin on vape flavor bans, and the admin overruled him.
fdabiashealth