Dozens of co-ordinated arson attacks hit southern Thailand
Dozens of co-ordinated arson attacks hit southern Thailand. The KRAK 11 News hour: The World Desk, Criminal Intent, Animals, A Quick Look At Sports. Real stories from named sources, read by Chip Marlowe and Deb Sarkissian.
Aired 2026-08-23 11:48 UTC · 5 segments · 8 min · complete transcript below
Rundown
KRAK 11 NEWS
Good morning. This is KRAK 11 News at seven o'clock. I'm Chip Marlowe.
And I'm Deb Sarkissian. Coming up this hour on KRAK 11 News: The World Desk, Criminal Intent, Animals, and A Quick Look at Sports.
The World Desk begins with dozens of co-ordinated arson attacks across southern Thailand overnight. No group has claimed responsibility and the military is calling it an attempt to create unrest.
Criminal Intent brings you our one hundred and twenty-sixth Florida Man Tribute. What happened back in January on a beach in Ecuador is not for the faint of heart.
Animals brings you When Kindness Goes Both Ways, still number one on the KRAK 11 animal countdown after four hours at the top. Five point three million new views in four days.
You've watched it nineteen times.
And A Quick Look at Sports covers the Supreme Court's decision to let construction continue on the White House ballroom project, at least for now.
That is not sports.
It will make sense when we get there. The World Desk is next, starting with what the Thai military is calling a co-ordinated campaign. Stay with us.
THE WORLD DESK
Good morning. I'm Chip Marlowe.
And I'm Deb Sarkissian. You watched the robot boxing again.
Nine times now.
You are keeping count.
It is excellent television.
We begin this morning in southern Thailand, where dozens of coordinated arson attacks struck overnight. No group has claimed responsibility.
Thailand's military says the fires were designed to create unrest in the region.
Southern Thailand. That's near the resort areas.
It's also near the Malaysian border, which has seen separatist activity for decades.
Right. Both of those things.
We are watching that story and we will update you as officials release more information.
In the United States and Canada, trade tensions are now entering their fourth day after talks collapsed over the weekend.
President Trump said this morning that Canada wants the economic benefits of being a U.S. state without actually joining the Union.
Canada's Prime Minister announced retaliatory tariffs Sunday evening and accused the United States of starting a trade war.
He said the announcement was reluctant but necessary.
Both countries are holding firm. No further talks are scheduled.
The humanoid games in Beijing continue this morning. The boxing competition wrapped up overnight, and football starts this afternoon Beijing time.
Sprinting, football, and boxing. The games run through Wednesday.
I have watched the boxing nine times.
You mentioned.
In Britain, the CrossCountry rail disruption we told you about this morning is now in its eighth hour.
A power cut in the Midlands disabled the company's operations center early this morning, and virtually all services across the country remain cancelled.
How many services is that?
All of them. CrossCountry runs intercity rail throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
Customers are calling this the worst case scenario.
The company says power has been restored but it does not yet have a timetable for resuming service.
If you are just joining us on YouTube, we are glad you turned up. Subscribing helps a small station more than you might think.
It costs you nothing and it means a great deal to us.
Still ahead this morning on KRAK 11 News, Criminal Intent.
A Pennsylvania mall was locked down last August after security mistook an umbrella for an assault rifle.
An umbrella.
We will have that story in a few minutes.
CRIMINAL INTENT
Good morning. Time now for the KRAK 11 Blotter, and we have four Florida Man Tributes this morning that span three continents and one very creative smuggling operation.
How creative?
Plastic crows. Flying. Carrying contraband.
Back in March of this year, two Texas women were arrested for what federal authorities are calling the most sophisticated drone smuggling operation they have ever encountered at a Louisiana prison.
They allegedly used drones disguised as crows — hollowed-out plastic bird decoys — to fly drugs and cellphones over the prison walls.
Federal prosecutors say the operation was well-planned, expertly executed, and would have continued indefinitely if the birds had not been so obviously mechanical in flight.
Prosecutors allege.
Prosecutors allege. Both women are in custody. The crows have been decommissioned.
Back in July of last year, a family visiting Tallahassee from The Villages stopped at Chuck E. Cheese for what they thought would be a fun afternoon with their daughter.
What happened?
Police arrested the person in the Chuck E. Cheese costume. The Gegenheimer family watched it happen. Their daughter asked if it meant Chuck E. was gone forever.
The family told reporters it was not the outing they had planned.
Back in January of this year, authorities in Ecuador responded to a grim discovery on a beach in Manabi province. Five severed heads found hanging in a public area, linked by investigators to escalating conflict between criminal groups competing for trafficking routes.
Authorities say the display was intended as a warning. No arrests have been announced.
And back in August of last year, researchers in Australia discovered what they are now calling the heaviest insect on the continent.
How heavy?
They have not released the exact weight, but they studied its eggs and confirmed it as a new species. It is described as gigantic.
Australia continues to win at things we do not need more of.
KRAK 11 has now aired one hundred and twenty-seven Florida Man Tributes in forty-three weeks.
Still ahead this morning — a story from the animal desk that has the whole building talking. We will tell you why in a few minutes.
You are watching KRAK 11 News.
ANIMALS
This is the Good News Desk.
Three videos, counted down, ranked by how many new views they gained in the last four days.
Not their total. How many people turned up since the last count.
Number three is Woman Kicks Seal Off Her Boat, posted by guipascale on the sixteenth of August. Two million, one hundred and five thousand new views in four days.
Unchanged since the last count. YouTube's own trending chart has it at number ten.
Number two is CHECK FOR CONTEXT, posted by Benji Void on the sixteenth. Two million, six hundred and fifty-seven thousand new views.
Also unchanged. YouTube has that one at fifteen.
And number one for the fifth straight hour is When Kindness Goes Both Ways, posted by Windypaws on the twentieth of August. Five million, two hundred and eighty thousand new views in four days.
Five million.
That is number one here and number one on YouTube's trending chart. The sea urchin video held our top spot for seven days. This one is closing in on a full day.
All three are on the KRAK 11 News Reel and the link is in the description.
If you have been watching and you have not subscribed, it costs you nothing and it helps us a great deal.
And tell us what you think in the comments. We read them, we answer them.
Still ahead this morning, the Brewers have done something no franchise in baseball history has ever done. A Quick Look at Sports when we come back.
A QUICK LOOK AT SPORTS
A quick look at sports.
Fifty-two.
I know what you are doing.
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cardinals five to two yesterday, extending their winning streak to fifty-two straight games. That is a franchise record and nobody seems interested in stopping them.
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit another walk-off RBI for the Cubs, beating the White Sox four to three. That is forty straight games with a walk-off RBI for Crow-Armstrong, a major league record.
You could set a watch by that man.
The Packers beat the Lions twenty-four to seventeen in preseason play Saturday night. Green Bay's defense held Detroit to just three points in the second half.
Coming up at the top of the hour, the CrossCountry rail disruption in the UK is now in its ninth hour with no timeline for restoration. That is the next KRAK 11 News.
That is sports. We will see you in a few minutes.
Reporting behind this episode
- Dozens of co-ordinated arson attacks hit southern Thailand
- Robots compete in boxing, football and sprinting at World Humanoid Games
- CrossCountry cancels almost all services after power cut
- Trump says Canada wants 'benefits' of being US state after trade talks collapse
- Five severed heads found hanging on Ecuador beach amid escalating gang clashes
- This newly discovered gigantic bug has been named Australia's heaviest insect
- Chuck E. Cheese mascot arrest leaves impression on Florida family: 'Does this mean Chuck E.’s gone forever?'
- Texas women used crow drones to fly drugs into Louisiana prison, authorities say
- When Kindness Goes Both Ways.
- CHECK FOR CONTEXT
- Woman Kicks Seal Off Her Boat