1. Trump names Stephen Miller White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles
President Trump said Friday that Stephen Miller will become White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, the first woman to serve in the post. Trump announced the change on Truth Social days after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in Tuesday's midterms. Miller, 41, has been deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser and was a senior adviser and speechwriter in Trump's first term. Wiles called the job the honor of a lifetime; Democrats criticized the pick.
Sources: The Guardian US · New York Post
2. Chainalysis says hackers got credentials and live tokens for all of its users
Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis said hackers obtained names, usernames, password hashes and live tokens for all of its users in an ongoing cyberattack that it says used AI agent-assisted techniques. It has made credential resets mandatory and says it has found no sign that investigation data was accessed. Its publicly known customers include the FBI, ICE, the US Air Force, Microsoft, Coinbase and Barclays. The company took its login page and several services offline and on Friday began restoring access for some customers.
Sources: Ars Technica
3. Under 4 minutes a day of vigorous everyday activity linked to 48% lower dementia risk
Researchers led by Nicholas Koemel at the University of Sydney tracked 22,618 UK Biobank adults, mostly in their early 60s, with wrist accelerometers for a week and followed them for about eight years; 170 were diagnosed with dementia. About 3.7 minutes a day of vigorous routine movement, like carrying heavy shopping, was associated with a 48% lower risk. Dementia developed in 2.5% of people with no exercise, versus 0.71% of those with daily bursts of vigorous activity. The study is observational, so it does not show the activity caused the lower risk.
Sources: New Scientist
4. FAA to replace floppy-disk air traffic display systems at 435 sites by end of 2028
The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it will replace four information display systems dating to the 1980s, some of which rely on floppy disks, with a new Enterprise Information Display System (E-IDS). The system is meant to speed the sharing of pilot reports and Notices to Airmen with air traffic controllers. The first sites are the Atlantic City, Nashville and Rochester, New York, airports and data hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City, with 435 sites planned by the end of 2028.
Sources: Ars Technica · The Register
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Reporting in this brief: The Guardian US, New York Post, Ars Technica, New Scientist, The Register.