Author: openjargon

• Marlana Hodgins helped her kids learn CPR in the family living room.
• About two years later, her son Trevor used CPR after a friend collapsed.
• Doctors say Trevor's actions probably saved his friend's life.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Marlana Hodgins and her son, Trevor. It has been edited for length and clarity.

About two years ago a dear family friend had a pulmonary embolism, a block in the arteries that provide blood to the heart. He went into cardiac arrest and his wife did CPR. Our friend survived, but with severe brain damage.

Despite the sad outcome, the incident underscored how important CPR can be. My husband Steven is a state trooper and CPR instructor for fellow officers. After our friend's incident he brought home his CPR dummies and taught me and our three kids how to do CPR in our living room. I had been CPR certified as a teen, but my kids — who are now 12, 14 and 16 — were learning for the first time.

I never imagined that my middle son, Trevor, would soon be using his skills to save a life right in our home.

My son's wrestling teammate collapsed at our house

My boys love to wrestle. We have a home gym that we call The Barn, with a treadmill, weights, and a wrestling area, so it's normal for kids on the high school wrestling team to stop by. On the morning of May 10th two of my sons' fellow wrestlers came over: Giovanni Scafidi and J.J Machnik, a senior who was captain of the team.

The boys headed into the basement, while Trevor was still upstairs. I was in the kitchen when I heard the treadmill start. About five minutes later I heard a crash, then Giovanni screaming J.J.'s name. The way he said it I knew something was very wrong.

J.J had wrestled with my older son since they were little, and I knew he had a heart condition. I dialed 911 before I even got to the basement.

Trevor started CPR while I spoke to 911

Trevor had run down from his room, and he and Giovanni were taking care of J.J. — rolling him onto his back and getting some of his bulky clothes off him — while I spoke with the 911 dispatcher. The dispatcher kept asking if J.J. was breathing. At first he was, but the next time I asked, the boys paused to listen for breath and heard nothing.

That's when Trevor stepped into action. He was only in eighth grade but he gave J.J. chest compressions, and prompted Giovanni for when to give rescue breaths. The boys kept up CPR until the first responders arrived about five minutes afterward. Later, in the hospital, doctors and nurses said the efficient CPR that Trevor delivered likely saved J.J.'s life.

A police officer tried to prepare me for the worst

At that point, though, we didn't know if J.J. would make it. I had called his mother, Laura, as soon as I hung up with 911. I was in auto-pilot, and told her that J.J. had collapsed and she had to get to my house immediately. She was about 20 minutes away at work.

Trevor, Giovanni, and I went upstairs to give the first responders room to work on J.J. We later learned they intubated him right in the basement and continued CPR the whole time.

After a while one of the police came up to talk to me. I think he was trying to prepare me. They were doing their best, but J.J.'s heart was working against them. Even with a shock from the AED, it wouldn't continue beating.

Laura arrived just as J.J. was loaded into the ambulance. As they went to the hospital, the boys and I were left at home, shocked and praying.

We visited J.J. in the hospital on his 19th birthday

Throughout the day, Laura called me with updates. I was afraid to answer the phone each time, because the prognosis wasn't good. There was hope though, since J.J. was able to see Dr. Matthew Martinez, who specializes in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the heart condition that J.J. has.

Finally, two days after the accident, we started to get better news: J.J. was still on life support, but it looked like he was going to live.

On J.J.'s birthday, exactly one week after he collapsed, he called me, Steven, and Trevor to ask us to visit him at the hospital. He was turning 19. Steven and I cried when we heard his voice. After two weeks J.J. was discharged. He was able to go to the prom and his wrestling banquet. At that dinner, J.J.'s dad pulled Trevor aside to thank him.

When I think about what Trevor did, I have no words. I'm so grateful that Steven taught the kids how to react in an emergency. Dr. Martinez told us that early CPR was key in J.J.'s survival. There are adults that can't handle doing CPR, but my son was so calm under pressure. Trevor wants to be a doctor in the future, and I have no doubt he can handle it.

• A top game streamer admitted to messaging a minor in 2017.
• That's why the Amazon-owned Twitch platform mysteriously booted him in 2020, Dr Disrespect said.
• Brand partners and his own game studio have cut ties.

Exactly four years ago today, one of the biggest stars on Amazon-owned Twitch was mysteriously booted from the video game streaming platform.

The company didn't reveal much about the reason why at the time. But the mysterious circumstances surrounding the ban have now been revealed.

On Tuesday, that streamer, Guy Beahm — better known by his "Dr Disrespect" persona — shared why. He'd sent messages "that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate" to a minor over Twitch in 2017, he revealed in an explosive statement on X.

"Were there twitch whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017? The answer is yes," Beahm wrote, referencing the "Whisper" direct messaging product on the platform. "Were there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not."

The revelation sent shockwaves throughout the gaming world and led to swift repercussions as multiple companies severed ties with the content creator, known for his online streams playing "Call of Duty" and other games that draw millions of views.

Beahm moved to YouTube after his Twitch ban — though he's never announced a formal streaming contract with YouTube, and he's been critical of the platform over the years.

On his livestreams, the 42-year-old Beahm wears a black mullet wig, and has cultivated the brash persona of Dr Disrespect as "the most ruthless, athletic competitor in video game history," per his Instagram profile.

So why did this all come to light now?

Beahm's statement confirming his messages to a minor comes days after a former Twitch employee said on X that an unnamed streamer, widely believed to be referring to Beahm, had been "caught sexting a minor" and "trying to meet up with her at TwitchCon" — a convention hosted by the Amazon-owned platform.

In the days that followed the Twitch employee's social media post, The Verge and Bloomberg separately reported that Beahm had been banned from the platform for messaging a minor.

'Nothing illegal happened'

In his statement, Beahm denied being a predator or pedophile.

"Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed, I never even met the individual," he wrote.

Beahm also said he'd settled a civil suit with Twitch over the ban. A spokesperson for Twitch did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment ahead of publication.

The fallout from the reports and Beahm's post has been swift.

Midnight Society, a game development studio he cofounded in 2021, announced on Monday it had terminated its relationship with Beahm following its own investigation into the matter.

"If you inappropriately message a minor," Midnight Society studio head Ryan Bowling wrote on X, "I can not work with you."

Beahm confirmed he was leaving Midnight Society in his own statement, but vowed not to "disappear," saying he would return after an extended vacation with his family "with a heavy weight off my shoulders."

Beahm did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Former brand partners are distancing themselves

Since his Twitch ban, Beahm has been active on YouTube, where he counts 4.7 million subscribers and streams games like "Elden Ring" or "Call of Duty: Warzone."

YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

A spokesperson for CAA, the talent agency to which Beahm signed in 2019, told Business Insider, "He is no longer a client of ours and he hasn't been for some time now."

Other brand partners have distanced themselves from Beahm in the wake of his admission.

Gaming headset maker Turtle Beach told IGN it would not be continuing its relationship with Beahm. A spokesperson for the San Francisco 49ers, another former partner, told Digiday it would not work with Beahm going forward.

• Supreme Court posted abortion-related decision in Idaho case, then removed it.
• The decision, as written, would allow emergency abortions in Idaho.
• A Supreme Court spokesperson confirmed that a decision was inadvertently posted online.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared to have inadvertently posted an opinion in a closely watched Idaho case that would be the last abortion-related decision of the high court's current term.

Bloomberg News first reported that a copy of the decision was briefly posted on the court's website and then later removed. A Supreme Court spokesperson confirmed that something was inadvertently posted online but said the high court's final opinion remains unreleased.

"The opinion in Moyle v. United States, No. 23-726, and Idaho v. United States, No. 23-727, has not been released," a spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider referring to the two cases related to the Idaho law. "The Court's Publications Unit inadvertently and briefly uploaded a document to the Court's website. The Court's opinion in these cases will be issued in due course."

In the copy posted online, the court would allow for emergency abortions to continue in Idaho, according to Bloomberg's report. The opinion would be based on the holding that it should not have reviewed the case in the first place.

The Biden administration has argued that a decades-old federal law should supersede Idaho's near-total abortion ban and thus allow doctors to perform emergency abortions that are outside the scope of limitations under the state ban.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, opinions were only released on the court's official website. But justices have long since returned to the practice of announcing rulings from their historic courtroom.

After the announcements are made the decisions are posted online, according to SCOTUSBlog, a prominent source of news from the Supreme Court.

The court had announced earlier Thursday that it was done releasing opinions for the day after releasing two decisions — one concerning an effort by conservatives to push back on the Biden administration pressuring social media companies to clamp down on misinformation, and the other related to a federal law about bribes to state and local officials.

Neither case was among the hotly anticipated of the current term. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on former President Donald Trump's request for sweeping immunity from criminal prosecutions, a decision that could become one of the most famous in the nation's history.

Every abortion-related opinion, too, has been closely watched in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2022 landmark ruling to reverse Roe v. Wade.

• A 64-year-old grandmother said social connections and purpose are key to a long life. 
• Her low-cost habits have boosted longevity better than Bryan Johnson's $2 million routine. 
• Research suggests strong relationships and community can make a big difference in healthy aging. 

Amy Hardison isn't trying to live forever — but her longevity stats are still winning out over million-dollar antiaging routines.

Hardison, a 64-year-old grandmother, has ranked higher than tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson in the Rejuvenation Olympics, an online leaderboard that tracks metrics of longevity.

One of her biggest tips for living a long, healthy life is free.

She said focusing on the quality of her life and maintaining strong social connections is more important than obsessing over antiaging trends.

"I think that if you've lived a life where you're contributing to others, you feel like it makes a difference. You've given your life to something bigger than yourself," Hardison said. "We don't speak much in our society a lot about how amazing it is to get older."

Strong relationships have helped her stay healthy and active

Hardison attributes her health and happiness to close family ties and a deep sense of community, contributing to and being a part of something bigger than herself.

"Some of the greatest privileges of my life have been to engage with people that I love and to make a difference," she said.

Research suggests this sense of purpose and community is a major factor in some of the longest-living people in the world.

For Hardison, spending time with her husband, children, grandchildren, and friends is part of what keeps her excited to start each new day.

"Life is still sweet, it's still good. It is so amazing to have lived my life and then look at my kids who are amazing adults and just be in awe of them," she said. "It's the reward of a life well lived."

• Researchers unveiled a smiling humanoid robot with lab-grown, self-healing skin.
• The team from the University of Tokyo used collagen gel to bond living skin tissue to 3D models.
• The researchers said it could benefit the cosmetics industry and help train plastic surgeons.

It's not just nuts and bolts keeping robots together — now they can be made with living skin. Skin that can be made to smile.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo revealed on Tuesday a rather unsettling humanoid robot covered with lab-grown skin cells. The team said it was able to mimic human skin ligaments by bonding skin tissue to perforated 3D facial models and 2D robots.

The team hopes the advancement will be useful "in the cosmetics industry and to help train plastic surgeons," according to a press release.

While the development could prove helpful, some people online reacted to the robot's fleshy skin and facial movements with jokes or said they found it disturbing. One user on X wrote, "You will live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension," while another said, "We don't want this. Nobody wants this. Stop it."

Unlike other robot materials used as skin, the method of using biological skin grants these robots self-healing capabilities that don't require triggers such as heat or pressure, the researchers said.

"Biological skin repairs minor lacerations as ours does, and nerves and other skin organs can be added for use in sensing and so on," said Professor Shoji Takeuchi, lead researcher for the study.

Other techniques, which require mini anchors or hooks, are often limited by the types of surfaces that can be used and could be damaged, the researchers said.

However, by using a "special collagen gel for adhesion," researchers were able to apply the skin to any surface, even curving or moving ones — like a smiling robot.

"The natural flexibility of the skin and the strong method of adhesion mean the skin can move with the mechanical components of the robot without tearing or peeling away," Takeuchi said.

The team also hopes to create a thicker and more realistic skin by "incorporating sweat glands, sebaceous glands, pores, blood vessels, fat and nerves." Takeuchi said that creating humanlike expressions is another significant challenge they hope to tackle by incorporating actuators, which would act as muscles, into the robots.

This is just the latest development in humanoid robotics, which, sometimes disconcertingly, feature designs that mimic the look or functionality of people — sometimes falling into the uncanny valley.

Tesla is in the works of developing its Optimus robot, which CEO Elon Musk hopes people will regard "sort of as a friend." Other bots operate on all fours, like Boston Dynamic's four-legged robotic police dog.

While you probably don't have to worry about seeing living skin on a production robot anytime soon, the University of Tokyo researchers have at least proven that it's possible — even if that means a bit of nightmare fuel for the rest of us along the way.

• Morrie Markoff was the oldest man in America when he died in early June.
• His daughter said habits like walking daily and pursuing artistic hobbies kept him healthy. 
• Markoff donated his brain to research to help scientists better understand aging and cognitive health. 

Before becoming the oldest man in America, Morrie Markoff technically died — but not for long.

Just before he turned 99, Markoff, an avid traveler, photographer, and sculptor with a keen interest in discussing world events, suffered a heart attack. While in the hospital, a machine malfunctioned, and Markoff's heart stopped beating for several minutes, his daughter Judith Hansen told Business Insider.

But not only was he revived, Markoff went on to live more than a decade more, authoring a book and passionately pursuing his lifelong love of learning. Last year, at 109, he went viral for celebrating his birthday with a performance from a belly dancer.

At 110 years old, he was the oldest living American man prior to his death in early June.

Now, he's set another record, this time as the oldest healthy brain donation on record.

Despite his advanced age, Markoff remained lucid and free of neurological diseases, and studying his healthy brain could help researchers understand cognitive decline and aging through the Brain Donor Project.

Simple diet and exercise habits, along with his constant curiosity and community engagement, kept him physically and mentally healthy over the years, according to Hansen, now 83 and following his example.

"I'm living the same way," she said. "Because it worked."

Walking was his main form of exercise

For many years, Markoff and his wife Betty, who lived to be 103, walked three miles a day around the reservoir near their home, and maintained the habit well into their 90s, Hansen said.

Near the end of his life, Markoff stayed active even when it meant doing laps indoors.

"My dad would walk around the dining room table with the caregiver," Hansen said. "The joke was that we should put another leaf on the table to make it bigger because it was his race track. He always said, 'I gotta get my exercise.'"

Research suggests walking is a science-based strategy to boost longevity and reduce the risk of illnesses like heart disease, even if you add just a few hundred steps per day.

He didn't eat processed food but enjoyed dessert

Markoff didn't live to 110 by eating organic superfoods, but he wasn't a fan of junk food either.

The family ate simple, home-cooked meals, which regularly included small portions of dessert, according to Hansen.

"Everything they did in moderation," she said. "We didn't have store-bought cookies or soda, but there was nothing fancy."

The Markoffs were also prescient about avoiding plastic bottles, which research is just now proving to be connected to health risks like diabetes.

He stayed curious and engaged

Although Markoff grew up poor and dropped out of school by 8th grade, he had a persistent passion for learning new things and connecting with his community.

"He and my mom were very connected to the world. They got up every morning and read the LA Times," Hansen said.

The couple also went all over the world, including to Mexico just after the Pan-American Highway was built in the early 1950s, and visiting Eastern Europe, Japan, and China.

"They weren't the cruise type. That was much too tame. They took buses and trains all over," Hansen said.

Markoff loved sharing his knowledge with others. From the mid-2000s onward, he began a daily writing habit that later became a blog and eventually a book. At age 103, he was attending book events and signing copies for fans.

He also pursued artistic forms of expression such as photography and creating sculptures from scrap metal, and wasn't shy about taking pride in his art, trying to donate his works to a museum, Hansen said.

His creativity and curiosity likely helped keep him mentally sharp. Evidence suggests learning new things as you age can keep your brain active.

Hansen said he was constantly sharing his knowledge in life and would have been thrilled that his brain will be a lasting contribution to the science he loved so much.

"He would have been so happy," she said. "It's the most wonderful legacy."

• Three kids of RHOC's Heather Dubrow are respectively bisexual, lesbian, and transgender.
• Dubrow told Business Insider she 100% supports their sexuality. "Communication is key," she said.
• The mom of four campaigns for the rights of people who identify as LGBTQ+.

When Heather Dubrow was asked to rejoin the cast of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" after a four-season break, she thought hard about the decision.

It was a big deal to open up her home to the cameras again — some days for seven hours per day — and have her private life in the spotlight again.

However, the 2020 offer came shortly after her daughter, Maximilla (whom she calls Max), revealed she was bisexual at the age of 17.

"I'd worked for equality before Max came out," Dubrow, a mom of four, told Business Insider. "But I knew the show would give me a platform to help normalize it."

In 2021 — the year that the family was featured in the 16th season of "RHOC" — Max's then 14-year-old younger sister, Katerina (known as Kat), came out as lesbian.

The show included an interview in which Kat said she had faced bigotry at school for her sexuality.

"From what I saw from the outside my older sister's coming out story, everyone was supportive," the teen said. "Her friends were supportive. But when I came out, I was dealing with a lot of homophobia."

"I had issues with people at school who were saying the f-slur around me and who were just not very supportive of the LGBTQ+ community," Kat said in the show.

In the same episode, the now 17-year-old told her mom she'd considered taking down her rainbow flag for pride after being criticized online.

Dubrow replied that Kat should be true to herself and keep the flag if she wanted, no matter what others think.

The star told BI she asked the teen if she was OK with the exchange being aired on TV. "Kat said, 'Absolutely because I think it will help people.'"

Dubrow, who first appeared in the seventh season of "RHOC" in 2012, added, "I'm so proud of her for having that honest conversation."

The second of Dubrow's sons, Ace, 13, is transgender

Then, in March 2023, Dubrow shared an Instagram post that confirmed rumors that her youngest child, then 12, was transgender.

She posted the message, including the fact he was called Ace, on International Sons' Day. "Our job as parents is to give our kids a safe and supportive environment so they can grow up as healthy, happy, confident, independent humans," she wrote alongside a photo of the name Ace carved in sand on a beach.

"We posted it, partly because of the trolls," Dubrow, who also has a 20-year-old son, Nicholas, Max's twin brother, told BI. "People were already talking about our son, misgendering him, and making comments.

"It was sort of our way of quieting the whole conversation because he is so young. Was it the right thing to do? I don't know," she told BI.

The 55-year-old, who is married to plastic surgeon Dr. Terry Dubrow, star of the reality show "Botched," added that it would be up to Ace, now 13, when — or if — he wanted to tell his own story.

"He's 13. He's in middle school, and he's got enough to deal with," she told BI. "I also think kids today are fluid in the best way. I want to give them the space to figure themselves out."

The mom said her old-fashioned parents pushed sexuality under the rug

Still, Dubrow advised other parents to act as sounding boards — but only if their children asked them first. "You can't press kids into telling you things you want to know," she said. "You have to wait for them to feel comfortable to tell you in their own time, in their own way."

"You just have to create a safe and comfortable environment for them and just let them know that you care," she told BI.

She added that "communication is key" and that adults should step back and listen. "It's hard for a lot of parents not to immediately try to fix or give advice."

As for her own parents, Dubrow told BI that she "came from a very 1950s family," and matters like sex were pushed under the rug. "I didn't even know what a period was," she said.

It was one of the reasons, she said, that she was so frank about supporting people's choices regarding their sexuality. She added that the 18th season of "RHOC"— which premieres on July 11 — included moments in which she, her husband, her children, and friends advocated for LGBT+ rights.

"If we can put our very normal family on television, some of the people watching might think, 'Oh, that's me,' or 'That's my kid' — and it's cool.'"

• South by Southwest will cut US Army and arms manufacturer sponsors for its 2025 festival.
• The decision follows over 80 artists pulling out in opposition to Army sponsorship this year.
• Artists cited anti-war sentiment as a reason for withdrawal.

South by Southwest plans to cut US Army and weapon manufacturer sponsors for its 2025 festival after dozens of artists pulled out this year.

"After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model," the organization said in a statement on its website. "As a result, the US Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025."

South by Southwest did not disclose its reasoning for the removal of these sponsors, but events at this year's festival were likely drivers.

Over 80 artists and speakers dropped out in opposition to SXSW's Army sponsorship of the nine-day festival earlier this year.

Artists who withdrew from the festival shared statements expressing anti-war sentiment and mentioned the United States' contribution to Palestinian casualties in Gaza as a result of providing weapons to Israel.

Some artists also decided to put on local, unofficial performances in Austin, Texas instead of performing at the festival.

Although SXSW acknowledged the artists who backed out, the organization moved forward with the Army sponsorship this year and said in March that its decision to work with the Army was made as a "commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world."

Army spokesperson, Ellen Lovett, said the Army's involvement in the festival was an opportunity to "meet technology innovators and leaders, explore new ideas and insights, and create dynamic industry partnerships as we modernize for the future."

In addition to the Army, major weapons manufacturers such as BAE Systems, Collins Aerospace, and the RTX Corporation participated in the festival this year.

• Putin and Kim deepened their arms deal and defense partnership at a summit last week.
• North Korea could demand a range of capabilities in exchange for sending Russia weapons for its war.
• Nuclear and missile technologies are at the top of the list, but Kim may also want fighter jets and satellite tech.

North Korea fueled Russia's war in Ukraine when it needed it most with substantial shipments of ammunition, but North Korean leader Kim Jong Un isn't doing this out of the kindness of his heart.

What Moscow is offering Pyongyang in exchange is a mystery, but Korea experts say that some of the possibilities are deeply concerning.

Since September 2022, when the US first accused North Korea of providing ammunition to Russia to address shortages, there has been widespread speculation on how Kim is being repaid for this partnership.

When Putin and Kim met last fall for a summit that resulted in Russia getting the ammo it needed to replenish strained stockpiles at a critical moment, there were questions about what North Korea wants out of this. Those have resurfaced with Putin and Kim's historic meeting in Pyongyang last week, which saw the leaders reaffirm their strategic alignment and sign a major defense pact.

"I think this is the biggest threat emanating from the Korean Peninsula since the Korean War," Victor Cha, the senior vice president for Asia and the Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said.

He added that the "widespread ripple effects" will not only be felt by the Ukrainians on the battlefield but also throughout East Asia and by the US due to potential for North Korea to receive technologies to improve its nuclear program, missiles, submarines, and more.

Putin and Kim's deepening partnership comes as Russian forces are on the offensive in Ukraine, Russian glide-bomb attacks are causing significant destruction, and Ukraine is facing frustrating limitations on how it can use long-range fires to strike targets in Russian territory.

Support from North Korea — in the form of weapons and ammunition — helps Russia keep up the pressure. Suspected 152mm shells, 122mm rockets, and KN-23 ballistic missiles have fueled Russia's war effort.

Western and South Korean estimates on just how much ammo North Korea has sent vary, but the total is believed to be in the millions.

Putin's reliance puts Kim in a place where he can drive a hard bargain to get what he really wants. According to Cha, Kim's red carpet treatment of Putin last week, as well as the mutual defense pact they signed, indicates much more is likely at work here.

Nuclear-powered submarines

One of the biggest asks from Kim could be technology for nuclear-powered submarines, which North Korea is trying to build. Its submarines, including one launched last fall that looked heavily modified to carry more missiles, are conventionally powered, meaning they need to resurface to refuel. That makes them easy to spot and track.

North Korea currently maintains one of the world's largest fleets, with estimates ranging from 64 to 86 total subs. That includes mostly coastal, conventional, and mini-subs, but in January 2021, Kim announced plans to develop nuclear-powered subs, noting that design research had already been completed.

Nuclear-powered subs would give North Korea a major capability upgrade. The vessels would potentially be quieter, faster, more survivable in a conflict, and harder to locate, allowing North Korea to travel farther, potentially closer to the US or its allies, and launch missiles without detection.

It's unclear what specific aspects North Korea needs to build the vessels, but Kim could ask Putin for acoustic technologies to keep the subs quiet or help with any kinks in the nuclear propulsion process. Kim could also request financial assistance to build the subs, as some indicators suggest that North Korea may be unable to sufficiently fund the development of a fleet of nuclear-powered subs.

Kim may want to learn from Russia's experience with the vessels, which could help him avoid trials and errors in the building process. Russia is one of only a handful of countries that operate nuclear-powered subs, and it's fleet is quite capable.

Nuclear weapons

Another point of concern is that North Korea could get technology it wants for its nuclear weapons program and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

On Monday, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said discussions about what North Korea gets from Russia likely involve "nuclear or long-range missile-development plans, perhaps other things in energy and the like."

Over the past decade, North Korea has domestically produced a missile force, from short- and intermediate-range weapons to ICBMs and submarine-launched missiles. Most recently, it has shown off its development of what it says are hypersonic missiles.

The North is working to field a force of missiles that could overwhelm adversary defenses. Help with this process, as well as assistance developing countermeasures to defeat enemy missile defenses, could be a priority.

Satellite technology

Advanced satellite technologies would go hand-and-hand with North Korean ambitions. In September 2023, Putin actually promised Russia would help North Korea build satellites; Kim has repeatedly tried and often failed to launch satellites into space, with the most recent May 2024 test failing when the rocket exploded during the first stage of flight.

With a satellite network, North Korea could rapidly identify targets to strike with its missiles. That would bolster its capabilities for a preemptive strike against the US or its allies, giving them only a few minutes to respond before airfields, ports, and command and control facilities on and around the Korean Peninsula are struck.

Fighter jets, manufacturing, and more

There have also been suggestions that what North Korea might want from Russia includes fighter aircraft, which Cha said were not entirely concerning given the robust capabilities of South Korea's Air Force, as well as US airpower in the region.

North Korea's ammo production capabilities, too, could see improvements thanks to Russian involvement. Much of the country's stockpiles date back decades, and US and South Korean officials have raised doubts about the effectiveness of these weapons.

If Russia were to collaborate with North Korea on ammo production, or at the very least give it better capabilities, then North Korea could find itself with larger, more effective stockpiles for a potential conflict on the peninsula.

But how this plays out is not all about what North Korea wants. There's also the question of what Putin is willing to provide. Further support could depend on how the war in Ukraine goes or whether South Korea decides to directly provide lethal aid to Ukraine, as opposed to its current policy of sending it via the US.

During CSIS' The Impossible State panel discussion on Monday, Scott Snyder, the president and chief executive officer of the Korea Economic Institute of America, said that the dynamic between Moscow and Seoul could determine what Putin decides to give North Korea.

After South Korea threatened to provide lethal aid to Ukraine directly in light of last week's summit, Putin suggested the possibility of giving North Korea the military capabilities it wants. Cha said that "in a sense, he's got leverage that he didn't have before."