The Stack Overflow Podcast - AI attention span so good it shouldn’t be legal

We have another two-for-one special this week, with two more interviews from the floor of re:Invent. First, Ryan welcomes Pathway CEO Zuzanna Stamirowska and CCO Victor Szczerba to dive into their development of Baby Dragon Hatchling, the first post-transformer frontier model, from how continual learning and memory will transform AI to the real-world use cases for longer LLM attention span. 

In the second part of this episode, Ryan is joined by Rowan McNamee, co-founder and COO of Mary Technology, to discuss bringing AI into the carefully governed world of litigation and how LLMs are helping lawyers manage and interpret the vast amounts of legal evidence that pass across their desks every day.

Episode notes: 

Pathway is building the first post-transformer frontier model that solves for attention span and continual learning.

Mary Technology is an AI for attorneys that turns evidentiary documents into structured, easy-to-review facts.

Connect with Zuzanna on LinkedIn and Twitter

Reach out to Victor at his email: victor@pathway.com 

Connect with Rowan on LinkedIn.

We want to know what you're using to upskill and learn in the age of AI. Take this five minute survey on learning and AI to have your voice heard in our next Stack Overflow Knows Pulse Survey.

TRANSCRIPT

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It Could Happen Here - Executive Disorder: ICE Body Cams, Fulton Election Raid, Portland Protest

The gang discuss the FBI raid of the Fulton County Election office, ICE protests in Portland, DHS bodycams, and an unsealed memo on the arrest of Rümeysa Öztürk. Plus, updates on Minneapolis and Syria.

Sources:

https://oversight.house.gov/release/chairman-comer-announces-the-clintons-caved-will-appear-for-depositions/

https://sortor.us/release/lemon.pdf

https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/econTabReport_DDIQ8jz.pdf

https://www.wtnh.com/news/politics/ap-judge-rules-us-justice-department-filed-a-lawsuit-over-georgia-voter-data-in-the-wrong-city/#:~:text=Judge%20rules%20US%20Justice%20Department%20filed%20a,government%20had%20sued%20in%20the%20wrong%20city.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/e815ed47-fce4-4797-8dc7-bcbc9efa968d.pdf

https://x.com/DNIGabbard/status/2018504435769520156?s=20

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/02/georgia-fulton-county-fbi-election-raid

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.282460/gov.uscourts.mad.282460.315.0_1.pdf 

https://www.state.gov/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-and-guyanese-president-irfaan-ali-at-a-joint-press-availability 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-student-resume-teaching-visa 

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/politics/court-documents-student-israel-op-ed

https://www.patreon.com/posts/whats-next-for-146454395?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.283214/gov.uscourts.dcd.283214.124.0_1.pdf 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.283200/gov.uscourts.dcd.283200.52.0.pdf 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FnY2z7eb5efGlHrb2AYBtfqMVDJSUfIu/view 

https://www.startribune.com/another-wave-of-departures-in-minnesotas-us-attorneys-office/601575569 

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/24_0307_priv_pia-ice-066a-pia-update.pdf 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/bovino-frustrated-directive-conduct-targeted-operations-chicago-rcna257069 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/05/31/2022-11810/advancing-effective-accountable-policing-and-criminal-justice-practices-to-enhance-public-trust-and 

https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/25/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-historic-executive-order-to-advance-effective-accountable-policing-and-strengthen-public-safety/ 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/05/31/2022-11810/advancing-effective-accountable-policing-and-criminal-justice-practices-to-enhance-public-trust-and

https://www.propublica.org/article/alex-pretti-shooting-cbp-agents-identified-jesus-ochoa-raymundo-gutierrez 

https://sdf-press.com/archives/47816 

https://x.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/2017320999629254878?s=20 

https://x.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/2019098549640917124?s=20 

https://t.co/aMIp9uMx04 

https://wladimirvanwilgenburg.substack.com/p/kurdish-regions-will-be-organized 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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PBS News Hour - World - News Wrap: Trump rejects extension of expired U.S.-Russia nuclear arms treaty

In our news wrap Thursday, Trump rejected an offer from Russia to temporarily extend caps on strategic nuclear weapons, Ukraine and Russia wrapped a second day of talks in Abu Dhabi, the Trump administration is stripping job protections from thousands of federal workers, Nigeria is launching a new military operation against Islamic militants, and Vance cheered on U.S. Olympic athletes in Milan. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Consider This from NPR - Will new limits on gender-related surgeries change anything?

The Trump administration is celebrating an American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommendation to delay gender-related surgeries, which are rare. So how much is changing?


The American Society of Plastic Surgeons declared this week that it recommends surgeons delay gender-related surgeries until a patient is at least 19 years old.

The Trump administration called the move "another victory for biological truth in the Trump administration,” and said the group "has set the scientific and medical standard for all provider groups to follow.”

The administration is describing the new recommendations as a “watershed moment”, but gender-affirming surgeries in minors are rare. So how much will this change?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro.

It was edited by Diane Webber, Courtney Dorning and Patrick Jarenwattananon.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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PBS News Hour - Health - What to know about South Carolina’s big measles outbreak and who is most at risk

South Carolina is experiencing one of the biggest measles outbreaks the U.S. has seen in decades. In that state, there are 876 confirmed cases of the highly contagious virus, which is preventable with a vaccine. While the current surge may be slowing, doctors warn there are still serious risks for vulnerable populations. William Brangham speaks with epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - World - Sudanese army finds overwhelming suffering after breaking RSF siege of embattled city

A U.N.-backed global hunger watchdog warned Thursday that famine is spreading to more parts of Darfur in western Sudan. The U.N. says the war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has driven 14 million people from their homes and killed an estimated 40,000. Nick Schifrin and producer Zeba Warsi spoke to civilians trapped in the epicenter of the nearly 3-year-old civil war. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - World - Head of humanitarian group urges nations to step up Sudan aid to prevent ‘biblical’ famine

The United Nations says Sudan's civil war is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. For a look at the effect this war has had on the people, as well as next steps, Nick Schifrin speaks with Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who just returned from Sudan. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The Gist - Jonathan Cohen: “Add Friction” to the Super Bowl of Gambling

Jonathan Cohen, author of Losing Big: America's Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling, makes the case that the only credible reform agenda is friction, slowing bets, delaying deposits, and cutting off the design features that turn even Czech table tennis into a high stakes trap. Also on the show, Conor Patrick Heffernan traces how ideas of strength evolved, from Charles Atlas chests to bodybuilding's takeover of Hollywood, and why the human body mostly just responds to resistance, not trends. Plus a lament for the Washington Post's decline, how the Times out-competed it by poaching talent, and the brutal economics of serious nonfiction journalism in 2026.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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PBS News Hour - World - The complicated road to recovery for Indian women forced into sex work

As many as 3 million women in India are believed to be sex workers, often pushed into the trade by extreme poverty or coercion. One organization has helped more than 32,000 of these women find a path out. While this group has earned international awards and philanthropic support, it's also raised complex questions about how best to help. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports for his series Agents for Change. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy