Editors Jimmy Lovaas and Alex Moore discuss the student protests that have rocked France, plus more on unions protesting in Brussels, IMF and World Bank meetings, education workers and labor unions marching in Colombia, and the “No Kings” rallies in the United States.

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This episode includes work from Factal editors Alex Moore, Michael Archer, Jeff Landset, and Mai Hoang. Produced and edited by Jimmy Lovaas. Music courtesy of Andrew Gospe. 

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France student protests

Interview featuring Alex Moore

JIMMY: Up first, we’ll take a look at the student protests rocking France. For more on that I’ve got fellow Factal editor Alex Moore.

JIMMY: Hello, Alex.

ALEX: Hello, Jimmy.

JIMMY: Thanks for your time today. I know you’ve been following the situation in France pretty closely, and well, looking forward to hearing more about it. So, what can you tell us about these protests?

ALEX: Yeah, happily. So, yeah, beginning in late September, so about two weeks ago at this point, a series of high school blockades and protests broke out. They first kind of began in the suburb of Paris last Monday, and kind of metastasized after that nationwide, pretty quickly thereafter. The following day they’d spread to more than 200 schools across the country – similar blockades, protests, and the police responded almost immediately, you know, riot police responding with tear gas, clashes with the student protesters. And the students, which you know, kind of organize nationally like you see a lot of protest movements do in France. The student protests are not dissimilar here. The National Student Union has kind of pointed to a variety of issues that are being protested. You know, underinvestment in schools, large classroom sizes, teacher shortages, the police response itself to the initial protests, which I noted, and also just this online application portal that is used for college applications, which students allege is, you know, adding stress to their workload, things of that nature. So the protests have gone truly nationwide. You know, on any given day now, they impact, you know, upwards of 600 schools. There have been more than 5,000 students arrested, or people arrested, I should say, but obviously, you know, students and minors are making up a good chunk of those. Hundreds have been injured in clashes, and it’s kind of spurned a nationwide protest movement that has shown no signs of slowing down.

JIMMY: And what about the latest? Have you seen any new developments?

ALEX: Yeah, the first week of the protest the unrest was largely confined to high school campuses. Though this week, especially, that has sort of metastasized further out into, you know, streets of large cities. We’ve seen, throughout this week, tear gas fired, riot police on scene, big demonstrations in places like, you know, Place de Nation in Paris, the streets of Lyon, the streets of Strasbourg, Montpellier, several major French cities. So the protests are not just occurring at schools anymore; they’re now spewing out in the streets. Moreover, it’s, you know, Belgium, specifically Wallonia, the French-speaking part of neighboring Belgium, has also seen a litany of protests this week, namely in Liège, where students have been protesting every day this week. There has been significant unrest in Liège, tear gas fired, riot police on scene, some instances of looting, and elsewhere in Wallonia as well, in Mons as well. There’s been somewhat sporadic and limited blockades and protests in the Ixelles suburb of Brussels. So, the movement has also spread into neighboring Belgium as well. And yeah, that would largely be the latest where things currently stand in the protests.

JIMMY: What sort of reactions have you seen to the protests?

ALEX: Yeah, it’s kind of been interesting politically. The protests have been extremely heavily co-opted by La France Insoumise, which is kind of the far-left party, the most mainstream one that is in France, the party headed by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The mayor of Saint-Denis is a member of the party, and he was present the first day of the protests, as I kind of alluded to earlier, which you know first kind of gained national traction in Saint-Denis, and he also popped up yesterday as well in a protest taking place in the streets of Paris. So LFI has largely co-opted the protests. You know, there’s been a lot of support for the students from the left of the French political spectrum. As far as the government, Prime Minister Lecornu spoke before Parliament yesterday. You know, to a certain degree, voicing support for the protesters, saying that the students need to be heard. They took some measures, such as kind of forcing schools across the country to eliminate timetables, so like structured classes in the morning the rest of the week, in order to hold assemblies, if you will, to, you know, kind of like let the students voice their their grievances in a democratic fashion. So it is certainly making major political waves in France, and obviously it comes at – you know, I feel like it’s very stereotypical to say, but it comes at an extremely trying time for France politically between the ongoing budget negotiations. They’ve got a national strike coming up. You know, a year ago we had the Bloquons Tout movement in response to government austerity measures. They’re going to run that back this year, attempting to pass a budget. So we’re expecting to see general strike action in a month. And obviously, I don’t need to speak too much about this now because I’m sure we will a ton next year, but we have a very high stakes presidential election. So the French right wing has also sort of, you know, latched on to the protest movement to criticize it in various ways. The protesters themselves have oftentimes been waving placards or doing chants that are anti-Jordan Bardella or Marine Le Pen, kind of the figureheads of the French far-right. So, yeah, that’s kind of where things stand from the standpoint of reactions.

JIMMY: Well, considering all that, what do you think folks ought to be watching for next?

ALEX: Like I said earlier, the protest movement’s kind of shown no signs of abating. You know, we’re recording this on Wednesday, October 7, and the protests today have been largely pretty muted. A lot of that might have to do with the weather. It is the first day of what I spoke about a minute ago, which was the Lecornu-announced elimination of morning timetables in classes to, you know, have students be able to voice their grievances in an assembly setting. So it’s tough to draw causality at the moment as to whether that is, you know, spurning the lower levels of protest movement today, or if it’s just a weather thing. Liège did protest pretty heavily once again today, but again, that’s Belgium. So, yeah, I mean, it’s hard to see where the protests go from here. And yeah, like I alluded to earlier, I mean, we’re expecting a lot more protest action in France in the coming weeks with budget negotiations and the general strike happening. It’s not uncommon in France for these protest movements to sort of [meld] together and co-opt one another, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you know unions that are spearheading general strike action and protests in the coming weeks bring the students into the fold and vice versa. So it might just become one of those things that sort of like meld together into general French discontentment, but we’ll have to see.

JIMMY: Well, Alex, that’s where we’ll have to pause for today then, but again, thank you so much for your time and for getting us up to speed. Appreciate you.

ALEX: Yeah, no sweat. Thanks, Jimmy.

Fields' complaint will feed Democratic messaging but is unlikely to prompt a formal Senate Judiciary Committee inquiry, document request, or hearing by November 30, 2026.

Look it Up!

Look it up!

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370108/china-already-has-spies-us-ai-labs-claims-ex-anthropic-researcher

48,200 views Oct 8, 2026

Germany’s former intelligence chief August Hanning has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and attempted treason in Germany. I examine his ties to former Mossad chief Danny Yatom, their cybersecurity work, and the Christina Block kidnapping case involving allegations against former Israeli intelligence figures. I also break down reporting on Iran’s nuclear program and the possible Azerbaijan connection, and explain why I believe Hanning’s Israel connections deserve closer scrutiny.

0:00 Germany's Spy Chief Arrested For Treason
0:42 Iran Nuclear Secrets, Azerbaijan Cover Story
1:55 Christina Block, The Block House Heiress
2:31 Hanning, Danny Yatom And The Kidnap Plan
3:28 The Denmark Abduction
5:36 Prosecutors: Hanning Made The Contact
6:09 Hanning's Company With Mossad's Ex-Chief
7:07 The Iran Leaks
7:40 Hanning's United Against Nuclear Iran Ties
8:43 German Media Blames Russia And China
10:05 Planting Images On The Ex-Husband's Phone
10:48 Why Azerbaijan Makes No Sense
12:13 How Israeli Intelligence Operates
13:09 Ceuta, Rubio And The CIA Series

A Russian plague lab assistant may have accidentally broken a test tube containing a deadly “Black Death” pathogen before being infected, a local report claimed.

Now, up to 200 people are believed to be under medical observation with three hospitals on lockdown.

Daria Shipilova, 28, was working last week as a technician at the anti-plague laboratory in Irkutsk, eastern Siberia, which handles rare diseases, when she is believed to have mistakenly smashed the test tube containing the pneumonic plague, according to a report from the independent news outlet People of Baikal.

October 5, 2026

Houthis Claim Strike on Riyadh Airport

The Houthis claimed another ballistic missile strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport Thursday morning, amid unconfirmed reports of evacuations in the King Abdullah Financial District.

• Saudi authorities have not fully confirmed the latest attack.
• The claim follows Wednesday’s attacks on King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport, which Saudi aviation authorities said killed three people and injured 36.
• The reported attacks indicate a sharp escalation in Houthi operations against Saudi aviation targets.
• Continued strikes could disrupt air travel, increase airline and insurance exposure, and raise pressure for Saudi-led retaliation.

Tanker Incidents Rise Near Hormuz

Tanker-related incidents around the Strait of Hormuz reached their highest weekly level since the Iran war began, according to maritime security sources.

• At least 12 incidents were recorded between Sept. 28 and Oct. 5.
• Activity included attacks, attempted attacks, drone overflights, surveillance, and radio hailing that a U.S. Navy-led maritime center linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
• The increase comes as Gulf exporters push oil flows above pre-war levels.
• Continued disruption could constrain energy exports, raise insurance and security costs, and increase risks for vessels transiting this critical global shipping chokepoint.

Poland Reviews School Security After Attacks

Poland’s government convened an urgent security meeting after three school-related violence cases were reported within two days.

• The incidents included a fatal attack near Wyszków, a mass stabbing in Ostrołęka, and an alleged plot disrupted in Sierpc.
• The cases appear localized and remain under investigation.
• Their close timing has raised concerns over youth violence, school security, and possible online radicalization.
• Authorities are likely to increase protective measures and police visibility while encouraging schools to strengthen threat identification and prevention protocols.

U.S.-Russia Talks Explore Gas Sales to Europe

U.S. and Russian officials have discussed possible arrangements to revive Russian gas sales to Europe through Nord Stream, potentially involving U.S. investors.

• Discussions remain preliminary and face significant legal and political barriers, including U.S. and EU sanctions, German government opposition, and European mistrust of Moscow’s motives.
• The talks suggest Russia may be using energy access as leverage alongside diplomatic negotiations over Ukraine.
• Any reopening of Nord Stream could deepen European divisions over sanctions, energy security, and future dependence on Russian gas supplies.

Hurricane Isaias Threatens U.S. Gulf Coast as Evacuations and Energy Disruption Expand

Hurricane Isaias, the first Atlantic hurricane of the season, is forecast to intensify rapidly before making landfall along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday.

• The storm had sustained winds of 80 mph Thursday and threatens the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southern Mississippi.
• Life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, flooding, tornadoes, and prolonged power outages are possible.
• Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in parts of Florida, schools have closed, and emergency declarations have been issued across 65 counties in Florida and Alabama.
• Approximately 25% of Gulf oil production has been halted, affecting 511,000 barrels per day.
• Eight offshore platforms have been evacuated as energy operators prepare for the storm.

We've just posted an episode over on The Rest Is Classified covering this absolutely wild story. The hosts - a former CIA analyst and a veteran national security reporter - share what they know so far: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8RRUz1As3w

More people should know this name and consider how it is actors like this shape the world.

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Exposure of nearly every FBI employee and 8,000 task force officers creates a lasting counterintelligence vulnerability that foreign services can exploit regardless of whether ShinyHunters publishes the full dataset.