NextDraft

Mindful of It

Dave Pell — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 19:36:22 GMT

Norm MacDonald famously said, “I remember a psychiatrist once telling me that I gamble in order to escape the reality of life, and I told him that’s why everyone does everything.” I’m not one to comment on this as I’ve used my news obsession to escape the reality of my own life for a few decades (a strategy that worked swimmingly until the content of the news actually got worse than the inner demons I was trying to avoid). But questions about the quest to avoid the reality of one’s inner life do make one wonder about the risks and rewards associated with being alone with one’s thoughts — even if your goal is to simply observe them and then let them go. In The Atlantic (Gift Article), Olga Khazan shares some insights on a twist you probably didn’t see coming, even if you’ve been thinking long and hard on the topic. The Dark Side of Mindfulness. “A prominent psychologist and meditation teacher set out to research the benefits of the practice. What she found alarmed her.” This is an interesting article, and focusing on the potential dark side of meditation will help take your mind off all the other things I’m about to report on, where the dark side is far more certain. I’d wager Norm MacDonald would have approved.

+ The surprising science of how focusing your attention may fight inflammation. (Just reading that headline made my inflammation ten times worse...)

2

5K Pop Demon Hunters

Sometimes the metaphors inflate themselves. On the way to his midterm convention-cum-rally, “a military aide accidentally deployed an inflatable emergency slide on the new Air Force One ... delaying President Trump’s departure to Dallas.” Fortunately, there was still enough hot air left for a two hour speech (Trump is speaking on both nights of the event) to a partially empty arena, in which Trump fear-mongered about the Democrats’ demonic threat to our way of life, and made at least his fourth promise to dole out cash to Americans: “If the GOP wins both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ‘you win with us,’ Trump said Wednesday, promising that ‘a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000‘ would follow.” I’m not sure what’s crazier: fully bribing people for their votes or the idea that Trump would actually pay out the $5k. But reality never stopped Trumpism before, so maybe the message will work, along with laughable claims such as the promise that the war with Iran will end right after the midterms and that oil prices will come down then, too. (If not, at least the $5K will get you a partial tank of gas...) Will this messaging in the face of terrible polling work? I say no. But I said no during all the other elections when Trump’s numbers surprised us on the upside, so instead, I’ll just say, vote.

+ “President Trump began his midterm-convention address last night by casting his spell on the crowd in Dallas. ‘This place is packed,’ he announced from the stage, pointing to the back of the American Airlines Center, where everyone could see hundreds of empty seats. Those who looked up saw thousands more, whole sections without any people at all. But the crowd cheered anyway. A deal had been struck. Reality would be ignored.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump’s Dream World in Dallas.

+ Of course, this election is about a lot more than messaging. It’s also about rigging. And that effort isn’t getting a great reception, either. US appeals court rejects Trump’s bid to impose restrictions on mail-in voting before midterms. And, Supreme Court blocks Missouri’s attempt to use newly drawn Republican congressional map.

3

The Giving and Taking Tree

Money doesn’t grow on trees. But money sure as hell can buy grown trees. Like, really grown. And that’s a big business these days. “More than ever, rich property owners are spending huge sums on full-grown oaks, palms and baobabs. They don’t have the time or patience to watch them grow.” The Latest Wealth Flex: Big Trees. “’Of course, people have done big trees before,’ Andres Blanco, a principal at Ferguson & Shamamian Architects in New York, said. ‘But not at this scale. The money is now out of control.’”

+ If you don’t let the replanting craze block you from seeing the forest for the trees, you’ll notice that the same economic divide driving that purchase pattern is also leaving economic normies up a tree. Mayor Daniel Lurie has had a remarkably successful run as San Francisco mayor, but he’s facing a new challenge. The AI boom means that people doing well in the city might be doing too well. San Francisco Mayor Declares Rent Emergency Amid A.I. Housing Frenzy. “San Francisco has long had high housing costs, but the current atmosphere has been unusually difficult for residents to navigate. The housing frenzy has become so extreme that some landlords and apartment owners have offered tens of thousands of dollars to encourage longtime residents to leave their rent-controlled apartments.”

4

Talarico Violations

“I interviewed Donald Trump when he was running for president in 2015, and at that time, when he was the one sitting next to me, he seemed to have no problem with the idea of talk show hosts interviewing candidates. In fact, he was very eager to come back for another interview, which he did just before he became the nominee in 2016. But for some reason, and I can’t seem to figure out what that reason is, something has changed.” Jimmy Kimmel returned from his Summer break (I still can’t believe he left me out here alone all that time) to celebrate his 4,000th episode. And by 4,001, Trump’s FCC is already on his (and the Constitution’s) case. Jimmy Kimmel’s Interview With James Talarico Heading to YouTube to Avoid FCC Hassle. (With any luck, it will end up being Kimmel’s most streamed interview of all time.)

5

Extra, Extra

A Distinct Extinct Possibility: Were you hoping that all the AI experts would come out and say the recent warnings about the threat to humans has been totally overblown? Well, this headline won’t help. Top AI pioneers reaffirm Anthropic researcher’s human extinction warning. Meanwhile, lawmakers are at a loss for how to regulate AI as insiders warn of impending doom. Lawmakers are woefully late to a problem that would be difficult to address under any circumstances. If you missed it yesterday: This is life Between the Hammer and the Anvil. “Imagine you’re standing in front of a button. If you push that button, it will set off a Rube Goldberg machine series of events that will wow the world with unimaginable advances in science, health, and other endeavors, empower like-minded nations, and result in unthinkable riches. But the machine’s final step is to drop a massive anvil on you and the rest of humankind. Would you push the button?”

+ Hornet’s Nest Stirred: “To hear the Trump administration tell it, the war with Iran is all but over. U.S. military posture tells a different story: Naval forces are being positioned for a sustained presence at least through the end of the year, keeping open the option of escalation.” Trump Is Preparing for a Long War. That preparation is necessary, in part, because the US isn’t necessarily driving the course of the war at this point. “Houthi forces in Yemen are making a concerted drive to take over the country’s Red Sea coast fully, claiming control of the key port of Mocha in the most serious wave of fighting with the Saudi-backed government in years, bringing the Iran-aligned group closer to full control of a key shipping route.”

+ Outbreaking News: The current Ebola crisis isn’t getting as much attention from the media (or the US government) as past outbreaks. That doesn’t mean it’s not bigger. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this’ — A U.S. doctor treats Ebola’s youngest victims.

+ We’re Really Cooking Now: “Earth cooked to its hottest month on record in August, blowing far past a key climate threshold, due to the dangerous double whammy of human-caused climate change and a supersized El Niño.” Some humans still may try to deny climate change. Gray whales are all pretty much believers. Gray whales are washing up dead on the West Coast. The reason is alarming.

+ OM(L)G: “The company’s TV sets scan Wi-Fi networks for nearby devices, record audio logs through their microphones, and use audio and video sampling to recognize exactly what you’re watching from across the TV.” LG TVs caught spying even when offline or on standby.

+ Ocean Ography: From surfers to sea creatures, here are the Winners of Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026

6

Bottom of the News

“The Hungarian Association of Cemetery Maintainers and Operators organizes the contest to showcase the grave-digging trade and its skills, and shake off death-related taboos. The dry summer-baked soil in the public cemetery in Nyergesújfalu, northern Hungary, proved a worthy adversary for the 19 two-man teams. They huffed and puffed and sweated as they raced for the title of quickest-dug and most stylish grave.” Competitors dig deep in Hungarian grave-digging contest. (Wait until they find out how fast AI can dig our graves...)

Between the Hammer and the Anvil

Dave Pell — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:04:24 GMT

Imagine you’re standing in front of a button. If you push that button, it will set off a Rube Goldberg machine series of events that will wow the world with unimaginable advances in science, health, and other endeavors, empower like-minded nations, and result in unthinkable riches. But the machine’s final step is to drop a massive anvil on you and the rest of humankind. Would you push the button? What if I told you that if you don’t push it, someone else with worse intentions will push the button first? What if I told you the machine has learned to push the button itself? I know this isn’t a very good metaphor for the state of our relationship with AI, but what can I say, I’m only human. Besides, I’m late with the questions. The button has already been pushed, and people are racing to push it again and again. The marble has rolled through the paper-towel tube, the toy car has rolled down the orange Hot Wheels track, a seesaw plank has been triggered, and a long line of dominoes has begun to topple. Only a relative handful of people have any idea of where those dominoes are headed, and some of them are trying to convince the rest of us that the machine has to be slowed down, and fast. “Jacob Coxon, a researcher who specializes in training new AI models by having them consume vast amounts of data, said Tuesday that he is leaving the company because he doesn’t want to participate in an industrywide rush to build AI systems that can improve themselves, worried such systems could spiral out of control and destroy humanity.” WSJ (Gift Article): Anthropic Researcher Quits Over ‘Out-of-Control’ AI Fears.

+ In a follow-up series of social media posts, Coxon explained the decision. “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt. If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible — but I hear the same people express fear privately. No other human activity poses this level of danger. A common response is ‘if they truly believe this, why are they still building it?’ At OpenAI, many have not deeply internalized the civilizational stakes. At Anthropic, the stakes are well-understood, but they are locked in a race to get there first — they believe no one else will act responsibly, so they must do it themselves, despite the risk.”

+ Are these risks being overblown? I don’t know. I can’t even explain why a light switch makes a light go on. But I do know that a lot of knowledgeable insiders have similar concerns. I also know that a self-imposed slowdown (in this industry, or any other) is unlikely. The incentives for pushing forward, from beating other companies to big paydays to beating other countries in what is essentially the new military race, are too tantalizing to slow down. And I also know that we have the wrong people in charge to establish meaningful government guardrails, and I’m not sure that the right people in charge could keep up with the technology, anyway. I wonder if, with the right prompt, AI can figure out a way to stop a falling anvil.

2

Criminal Enterprise System

“AI chatbots are already serving as confidants and co-conspirators, assisting and even encouraging humans acting on their darkest impulses. They’re occupying ersatz roles as therapists and lawyers, relationships our legal system typically shields with confidential privilege. They’re producing new kinds of criminal evidence and offering up the beguiling possibility of preventing crime before it happens. And as they’re given more autonomy across our digital and physical systems, they’re even gaining the ability to commit crimes themselves, absent specific human instruction — and, perhaps, in defiance of it.” Bloomberg(Gift Article): Welcome to the Age of AI Crime and Punishment. (And to think we just set out to create a technology that could help us summarize the plot and themes of Crime and Punishment....)

3

Hard to Put Lipstick in This Pig

“For more than a decade, Jim. Pillen’s hog business has employed migrant workers, those who are in the country legally — and those who are not.” That’s not much of a surprise. People who operate in industries like these depend on that labor and know full well that the implementation of an overly aggressive anti-immigrant strategy can do a lot of damage. But sometimes, those people run for office. And then, suddenly, a belief system that had them living high on the hog goes hog wild. NYT (Gift Article): As He Backs ICE Crackdown, Nebraska Governor Employs Undocumented Workers.

4

Bouncy House Music

“The scene at Red Rocks Amphitheatre had all the hallmarks of an electronic dance music festival. Attendees wore holographic bodysuits, went wild when the beat dropped and occasionally spilled their drinks down their shirts. But getting dressed required parental assistance, the bass pulsing off the sandstone was a techno remix of ‘The Wheels on the Bus,’ and the drinks were apple juice and formula.” WSJ (Gift Article): He Was a Washed-Up Pop Star. Now He’s Selling Out Stadiums Hosting Baby Raves. (Whatever it takes to get them to go down for their naps...)

5

Extra, Extra

Strait Fire: “The U.S. military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to the latest attacks on its warships and Tehran hit back at American targets in Jordan.” It doesn’t seem like this war is over. The oil market sure doesn’t seem to think it is.

+ Warning Shot: Josh Marshall provides a good overview of a new story suggesting Netanyahu was warned about Oct 7, and what it might mean (if anything) when it comes to the upcoming Israeli election. And here’s Thomas Friedman in the NYT (Gift Article): “Oct. 27 and Nov. 3, 2026, are shaping up to be two of the most important dates in the history of two of the most important democracies — Israel and America. Those countries will be holding hugely consequential elections on those dates, just a week apart. Why so consequential? Because what is on the ballot in both places is not just the political futures of President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is the future of democracy in both places.”

+ The First Rule of Fight Club Is ... Fight! Sarah Longwell has done more than 400 focus groups. Here’s what she’s learned. Voters Have a Message for Democrats. “I don’t think that most Democratic elites understand this reality. In those circles, the dominant debate seems to be about whether the party should be more progressive or more moderate. The future of the party is seen as a policy question. But when I listen to Democratic voters, they’re not asking for ideological recalibration or even policy specifics. They trust that if the right person makes it into office, the policy questions will take care of themselves. Instead, the Democratic voters I’m listening to are almost universally asking a different question: Why aren’t you fighting harder?” (I’ve done hundreds of focus groups. All of them were just of myself, alone, in front of my laptop, and I came to a similar conclusion.)

+ Trans Configuration: Elon Musk has started to spend his $100 million of PAC dollars on the midterms. On what? Anti-trans ads.

+ On Guard: This seems like it’s going well. National Guard member arrested in DC, accused of drawing gun on fellow Guard member. (Don’t worry, the dispute was about regulation haircuts, not the Reflecting Pool.)

+ Du-over: After years of build-up, Apple’s new foldable phone, the Duo, has debuted. (I always figured humans would fold before the iPhone.)

6

Bottom of the News

“Squeezed by rising costs and middle-aged malaise, parents are steering their kids to big, affordable colleges down south where they can party. The kids can party too, if they want.” Remedial Tailgating.

+ ‘South Park’ Is “Changing Its Name” to ‘South America’ for Season 29. (Ever wonder if South Park will have more seasons than America?)

Rhyme and Reason

Dave Pell — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:00:10 GMT

They say that history doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes. That makes this a reasonable time to be worried about Yahtzees. The big state election win by the far-right AfD in Germany over the weekend is a troubling sign that comes at a disturbing moment. As Katrin Bennhold explains in the NYT (Gift Article), the AfD victory in a state election is forcing a rethink of the country’s postwar strategy to safeguard democracy. “When I was growing up in Germany, the conventional wisdom was that the far right would never again gain a meaningful foothold in our politics. Our Nazi past, the argument went, had immunized voters against the appeal of such parties. And our post-Holocaust constitution had powerful tools to help prevent it. The rise of the anti-immigrant, far-right AfD over the past decade has made clear the first argument was wrong. The second? We’ll see.”

+ Of course, safeguarding democracy is not a uniquely German challenge, and the rise of the country’s far-right isn’t taking place in a global vacuum. It’s no coincidence that this is happening at a moment in history when we’re losing the last of those who experienced WWII’s fascism firsthand. And it’s not good that it’s happening when so many other global factors are feeding the fire. First, we’ve got a fascist-curious American administration that has defended the AfD. Second, we’ve got increasingly heated anti-immigrant sentiments across the globe. Third, social media foments the divides and anger that fuel political movements like this. Fourth, the world’s richest (and arguably most dangerous man) is a huge fan of AfD. “Elon Musk congratulated the far-right party on its election victory with a ‘Well done!’ on his social media platform X, prompting Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, to thank the nativist US tech billionaire for his support.” (It’s worth noting that the American corporate community seems fine with Musk’s global politics, just as they seemed fine with his Heil.) Fifth, the economic divide is extreme and AI is likely to make it a lot wider. (Consider that American workers are getting the smallest slice of the pie on record.) Sixth, we have the exact wrong Israeli government in place for this moment; one that seems intent on driving a wedge between itself and its allies. (Example from today: U.K. accuses Israeli settlers of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in West Bank and bans their goods.) Seventh, we’re seeing more countries questioning their alliance with the US and deciding to go it alone militarily and strategically, and fewer solid alliances create more instability. Just today, there are stories about the Gulf nations seeking strategic autonomy (for some reason, they’re questioning whether Trump’s weekend-long AI meme sharing benders will actually end the war), Japan’s strategic turn toward militarization, and Simon Shuster’s piece in The Atlantic (Gift Article) that questions whether Taiwan will just give up. “The Taiwanese don’t trust Trump, and they don’t believe America will come to their defense.”

+ All of our allies have good reasons to be losing trust. Just consider Steve Witkoff’s comments to Putin over the weekend, during a visit to Moscow with Jared Kushner. “When we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all.” For some of us, this moment in history brings up incredibly bad memories, and they’re made worse by the fact that the country that once saved the world is being run by folks who don’t seem to remember which side we’re on. Putin thanked Witkoff for his kind words by resuming his bombardment of Kyiv.

2

Where’s the Beef (From)?

“If you buy a T-shirt at Gap, it will have a label that tells you where it was made. That’s federal law. The same is true for automobiles, appliances, television sets, every fresh or frozen fruit and vegetable sold at the supermarket. Beef and pork are notable exceptions to these laws. And that may help to explain why President Trump signed a proclamation last week that will allow the duty-free importation of about 660 million pounds of inexpensive beef. If American consumers knew where that beef was coming from, they might not want to eat it.” Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, in the NYT (Gift Article): Why Did Trump Order Up 660 Million Pounds of Mystery Meat? (Hint: Someone greased his palms and now he’s bringing home the bacon.)

3

You Gave It the College Try

“For most of the past two decades, the two groups largely tracked each other, in good economic times and bad. Now, though, just as job hunters without degrees are having one of their best runs, those with college educations are having one of their worst.” WSJ(Gift Article): Americans Without College Degrees Are Having One of the Best Job Markets in Years.

+ Yes, there’s work. But there’s a catch. “Workers’ share of U.S. income has already fallen to its lowest level on record, while corporate profit margins keep breaking records quarter by quarter.” Workers’ share of America’s income is at a record low before the AI boom even begins.

+ AI has definitely hit one job market. Kenyans Did College Students’ Homework for Years. Then A.I. Arrived.

4

Melbourne Identity

“You might think this game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams is an important season opener between rivals that is oddly being played in Australia. But for sleep scientists this is an intriguing real-world experiment in what works and what doesn’t for elite athletes.” The 49ers have been in Melbourne all week. The Rams are getting there just in time for the game. Which strategy will work? 49ers, Rams made wildly different Australia plans. Sleep scientists can’t believe their luck.

+ The Rams think they’ve figured out jet lag. Australia is about to test their theory.

5

Extra, Extra

Turning Friends to Foes to Friends: “Canada struck back at U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday with tariffs on about $20 billion worth of U.S. goods, in response to the latest round of tariffs on Canada. The outcome could resonate far beyond Canada, showing other governments whether a smaller U.S. ally can withstand Trump’s economic pressure.” (Did I mention that Canada is our closest friend, ally, and neighbor?) The idiotic policies will have long-term ramifications. EU and Canada Plan Far-Reaching Alliance to Strengthen Partnership.

+ War Expansion: “Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have attacked four cities in Saudi Arabia, wounding more than 70 people and setting oil installations ablaze in what appeared to be a significant expansion of the Middle East war.”

+ Air Error: “In the harrowing months that followed the attacks on the World Trade Center, New Yorkers were repeatedly assured that the air around the fallen towers was safe to breathe. But 10 months later, health officials were still finding evidence of asbestos as much as half a mile away.” After 9/11, Documents Suggest, New Yorkers Were Misled About Air Quality.

+ Cargo Plane Crash: “The plane first hit a van belonging to a cleaning company used by the airlines, said NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy. She described the van as being ‘torn apart.’” Scene at Miami airport where five died described as ‘utter devastation.’

+ Debt, Etc: A headline that contains many stories in one, all of them pretty crappy. A Doctor Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He’s a Senator. (If this guy likes going after people with debts, wait until he gets to know the US government...)

+ Stickiness and Stones: “Arthur Lundeen, 67, of Arizona, was restrained to his seat with duct tape and his hands were restrained with zip ties, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, which arrested him after the plane landed.” Unruly passenger arrested after being restrained with duct tape during flight. (After all these years of flying, NOW you tell me there’s duct tape on board?)

6

Bottom of the News

Does a bear shit in the woods? Here’s a more pressing question: Does a bear shit in the city and suburbs? Turns out the answer to all those questions is a big ol’ yes. Bears in Los Angeles Are Getting Their Close-Ups, Ready or Not. “California has 60,000 black bears, and they are venturing far from their usual habitat in search of food and shelter. It’s the humans who have to adapt.” (Just when you were sure the AI would be the thing to kill you, you end up being eaten by a bear.)

+ Trump Sparks Confusion With Dramatic New Hairdo. (They’re eating the cats! They’re eating the dogs! Well, apparently, they’ve also been saving the fur...)

The Joy of Fighting Sexism

Dave Pell — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 18:54:54 GMT

“For me, saying that I am a feminist has always meant that I believe in the social, economic, and political equality of all males and females of all races and groups.” How do we process the passing of Gloria Steinem at a moment when her core goal of equality is facing so many setbacks? Maybe how she told us to: with optimism, hope, an embrace of how joyful social movements are, an awareness of how far we’ve come, and a constant reminder that “the biggest leaps are those that we make within ourselves.” The New Yorker: Gloria Steinem’s Final Essay. (alt link.) “As I write this, the world seems in a tailspin. Many feel that all the progress we’ve made is being reversed. When you’re lucky enough to have lived a long life, as I have done, your role as an older person is to remind us how far we have come.”

+ Netflix: Famous Last Words: Gloria Steinem. “Told that she chose the harder path in committing to progress and change, she replied, ‘Doesn’t feel harder. It feels like fun.’”

+ NYT (Gift Article): Gloria Steinem Stayed Positive, Even as the Manosphere Took Hold.

+ Hillary Clinton: “Gloria Steinem was, at heart, an optimist. Her activism was rooted in optimism, and that’s a moral choice she made every day. Even though we’ve faced setbacks to women’s full participation and equality in America and around the world, I want Gloria’s voice to remain in our heads.” Maybe that voice was in a few heads and in the air at Olivia Rodrigo’s recent Daisy Chain Fields, an all-women music festival that raised $20 millionfor “nonprofit organizations benefitting women and girls, including the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood.” Rodrigo “brought out her heroes onstage: Alanis Morissette for ‘Ironic,’ Stevie Nicks for ‘Landslide,’ and McLachlan herself. ‘I feel like I’m dreaming,’ Rodrigo told the crowd. ‘This is the best day of my f-ckin’ life!”

2

More Popular Than Sliced Bread

“A quarter of U.S. adults are now part of the so-called ‘sandwich generation,’ according to a Pew Research Center survey from September 2025. These adults have a parent age 65 or older and have a child under 18, an adult child receiving financial support or both.” More than half of Americans in their 40s are sandwiched between an aging parent and their own children. “Adults in the sandwich generation were more likely than those who were not sandwiched to say they were very satisfied with their family life.” (Like all sandwiches, a lot depends on the bread.)

3

The Arch of History Bends Toward Ugly

“The rush to push ahead with work on the arch follows a familiar pattern for Mr. Trump, who has frequently embarked on large-scale changes to historic properties in Washington without approvals from Congress or anyone else. And it comes days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the administration to continue building a ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing.” Trump to Break Ground on Arch Before Getting Approval. (Break ground before you have approval. Finish it before the courts can catch up. Make it ugly. Put your name on it. It’s like Trump in NYC in the 80s.)

+ “A coterie of advisers, planners, and architects is enabling the President’s passion project—renovating D.C. in his own image.” The New Yorker: Donald Trump’s Capital Makeover. (At some point, if we’re lucky, we can rename the sites of these monuments after William McReavy. He’s the guy who invented the jackhammer.)

+ I’m much less worried about the changes to the view in DC than I am about the wrecking ball Trump is trying to take to our elections. “The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to lift a block on the U.S. Postal Service plan for President Trump’s attempt to restrict mail-in voting for the midterm election.”

4

Weekend Whats

What to Movie: I recently watched a couple of movies that have particular resonance when it comes to this moment in AI and American culture. The first was The Imitation Game, in which Alan Turing leads a team of scientists in building a machine that can break the WWII coded messages being transmitted by the Germans. That’s the AI part. The way Turing was treated because he was gay is the part that sadly matches some of today’s culture wars. The other movie is The Big Short.

+ What to Doc: The Untold series on Netflix is always interesting. Their latest doc covers one of the weirder moments in recent Olympics history. Raygun: Breaking Badly.

+ What to Read: “People who live and work in land-based economies are well accustomed to being called backward by the more urbane, and Berry’s work has sometimes borne this slight. But he was the opposite of backward; he was prescient ... If any readers still doubt that a farmer could have much to tell them, it’s their loss.” Barbara Kingsolver in the NYT (Gift Article): Wendell Berry’s Message to Readers: All We Need Is Here.

5

Extra, Extra

Prep Rallying: “UK citizens will be told to stock up on tinned food and take steps to ensure they are prepared for national emergencies as part of a new government campaign to improve the nation’s resilience.” From yesterday: Finland runs Europe’s biggest civil defense exercise since the end of World War II. Related: The Risk of Russian Sabotage in Europe: A Fight That Spirals Out of Control.

+ A Familiar Story: “What makes the AfD’s rise especially shocking is that it is much more extreme than other European far-right parties that are either already in power, like Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, or could be soon, like Marine Le Pen’s National Rally. Whereas those parties have sought in some ways to detoxify and moderate themselves, the AfD has become more radical over time, deepening its ties to neo-Nazis and promising to repatriate migrants. As it has done so, it has grown more popular.” NYT (Gift Article): Something Alarming Is About to Happen in Germany.

+ 9 to 5 Billion: “The August payroll gain was the strongest in five months and well above Wall Street forecasts of 53,000 new jobs.” Employers add 162,000 jobs in August. Speaking of adding... The AI boom pushed global billionaire wealth to a record $15.1 trillion in 2025.

+ Unfettered Review: “One morning in June, three paralyzed military veterans in wheelchairs from rural Pennsylvania arrived at the office of Sen. John Fetterman for a long-awaited meeting to discuss legislation that would improve their care. Fetterman’s staff greeted them with bad news: The Pennsylvania Democrat had to cancel. He’d told his staff he may have eaten something bad and wasn’t feeling well, according to people familiar with the matter. Less than an hour after his staffers met with the veterans in his place, Fetterman walked into his office, showing no signs of illness. He had an appointment he didn’t want to miss, he told staff: an interview on Fox News to discuss Israel and the war in Iran.” The leaks in this story suggest Fetterman’s own staff is getting really tired of his act. WSJ (Gift Article): Behind Closed Doors, John Fetterman Shows Little Interest in the Work of a Senator.

+ A Can’t Miss Trial? Apparently, one juror in the Lindsay Clancy case was a holdout on a not-guilty verdict. Mistrial declared after last minute defense appeal is denied.

+ Rome Wasn’t Ruined in a Day: Many locals in European cities are sick of over-tourism. I’m guessing this won’t help. Rome mounts a crackdown on golf carts that are increasingly popular with tourists.

6

Feel Good Friday

Falling can be really dangerous when you’re in your 90s. Dale Sanders just got done with a hike where he fell 71 times. Hiker, 91, becomes oldest person to complete grueling Appalachian Trail.

+ “Rescuers pulled two survivors from a tunnel linked to a hydropower station on Nepal’s Trishuli River on Friday, nine days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through its valley.”

+ A storm destroyed her tea factory. One Canadian friend kept the business alive 2,300 miles away.

+ The 2026 Audubon Photography Awards.

+ San Francisco fire officials rescue man trapped inside garbage truck.

+ “More than 15,000 people now take part in the Sunday Letter Project, a global initiative encouraging people to write one handwritten letter every week.” (My penmanship would make the recipient feel even more alone...)

+ “Someone felt the need to pass the dutchie during Aryna Sabalenka’s third-round match at the US Open. The world’s No. 1 player and the tournament’s top seed had to stop her match against Kamilla Rakhimova because of the overwhelming smell of marijuana at Louis Armstrong Stadium.” (The smoker was probably feeling pretty paranoid before their puffing stopped play...)

Say Less

Dave Pell — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 19:30:03 GMT

With active global conflicts, American democracy on the ropes, affordability issues abounding, and that irritating thing where professional tennis players always take 4-5 balls from ballkids before selecting the two they want to serve with and then making the ball kids bend down and pick up the discarded balls, it’s probably going to be difficult to create a meaningful groundswell of concern about this issue: People aren’t talking enough. “An analysis published in July in Perspectives on Psychological Science of more than 2,000 people found that Americans and people in several other countries are speaking roughly 300 fewer words a day, or about two to three minutes’ worth, with each passing year. The drop - a 28 percent decline from 2005 to 2019 - was especially pronounced among people younger than 25.” In this age of idiocy, when the deluge of words we encounter tends to result in symptoms similar to those one might experience after eating a few bags of Taylor Farms shredded lettuce, it’s safe to say that hearing fewer words might not be our most pressing menace. But researchers are concerned that speaking fewer words could have a negative impact. “Producing even an ordinary sentence requires the brain to retrieve words, organize them, coordinate muscles, interpret another person’s response and formulate what comes next - all in a fraction of a second. Regions in our brains, including Broca’s area in the left hemisphere, play important roles in speech production and articulation. That raises a provocative possibility. If conversation repeatedly recruits these systems, could talking itself function as a modest form of cognitive exercise? And if so, what happens when people do less of it?” WaPo (Gift Article): The ‘Gen Z stare’ — and the decline of saying things out loud. (I asked both of my Gen Z kids what they thought of this theory, and neither one answered. I’ll keep asking the question. I need the exercise.)

2

Eat and Runs

“A generation ago, an outbreak of food poisoning generally remained small-scale. The source was likely to be tainted ground beef from a local butcher shop or an egg salad gone bad at a church picnic. As the scale of industrial food production has grown, so has the scale of foodborne outbreaks. When I wrote my book Fast Food Nation, published in 2001, high levels of fecal contamination of ground beef were already a nationwide problem, not just a local one, because huge ground-beef-processing plants with poor safety procedures were supplying the fast-food industry.” Here’s the issue. The scale of food production and distribution is going up. The number of people we have making sure that food is safe is going down. “The food-safety system we have—underfunded for decades—is being methodically dismantled by the Trump administration.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Should We Be Afraid of Our Food?

3

Uncle Sam Wants U

“The proposed regulations, which the Treasury Department published on Thursday, would add another element to the guidelines that schools and other organizations must follow to qualify for tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service. The rules would deny tax-exempt status to any school, including secondary schools and universities, if it has any policy or program, including admissions and scholarships, that the I.R.S. finds to be racially discriminatory.” The obsession continues. NYT (Gift Article): Trump Moves to Strip Tax Exemption From Schools That Aid Minority Students.

+ “Fifteen schools now charge six figures per year for the total cost of attendance; others are on the verge.” WaP (Gift Article): As more colleges surpass $100,000 price tag, here’s the true cost. (That’s a lot of money to spend on honing one’s ChatGPT prompts...)

+ Like everywhere else, there’s a big divide when it comes to the demand for higher education. Top schools are more selective and expensive than ever. Other schools? They’re accepting students before they even apply.

4

Footing the Bill for a Bill of Goods

“Virtually every American has been targeted by scammers in some way, exclusive new polling data shows. Scams in the U.S. have surged to a record high, causing billions in losses for Americans. But the U.S. still lags behind some other countries in tackling the problem, holding financial and social media companies responsible and regulating the cryptocurrency scammers rely on, an investigation by The Associated Press and FRONTLINE found.” Most victims get no help and some end up losing even more.

5

Extra, Extra

No Strain to No Gain? Every expert says the US military is stretched too thin because of the Iran war. The administration’s plan? More stretching. “It is part of an open-ended military strategy designed to give President Trump options in the war, the people said. But the deployment of 19 warships, air-defense units, fighter squadrons and paratroopers across the region is straining servicemembers and their families and creating a maintenance backlog that could take years to unwind.” WSJ (Gift Article): Hegseth Extends Mideast Deployments Into 2027, Escalating Strain on Troops.

+ Gloria: “Calling herself ‘an entrepreneur of social change,’ Ms. Steinem helped usher in sweeping cultural transformations across virtually every facet of American life, from the boardroom to the courtroom to the bedroom. For more than half a century, she personified the women’s movement and became its most enduring symbol; her tinted aviator glasses and curtain of streaked-blond hair parted in the center made her one of the most recognizable women in the world.” Gloria Steinem, Personification of the Women’s Movement, Dies at 92. My wife Gina Pell on the epiphany of meeting Gloria Steinem.

+ Sir, Come Vent: “Adam Silver didn’t just drop the hammer on the Los Angeles Clippers. He busted out the sledgehammer and called in the wrecking ball for good measure ... Among the league’s punishments to the Clippers after an investigation found that they broke league rules in order to pay Kawhi Leonard under the table: a $30 million fine; the loss of five first-round picks beginning in 2029; one-year suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer and top business executive Gillian Zucker; and a six-month suspension for top basketball executive Lawrence Frank.” 5 takeaways from the NBA’s punishment of the Clippers for circumventing the salary cap. (This could be Steve Ballmer’s worst moment since he predicted, “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.”) The punishment might make sense for ownership, but it also punishes the hell out of Clippers’ fans, who did nothing wrong (other than being Clippers fans). This is a big win for independent journalism, as the scandal was unearthed by Pablo Torre (who won a Pulitzer for his reporting). Here’s Pablo talking to Dan Patrick about the fallout.

+ Russian to Be Ready: “In a civil defense shelter hewn into rock, behind doors designed to withstand a nuclear or biological attack, two Finnish conscripts wearing hazmat suits and breathing masks are measuring radiation levels as they take part in an exercise to turn a cave into a place of safety for thousands of people.” Finland runs Europe’s biggest civil defense exercise since the Cold War.

+ Face Time: “The acquisition is also another sign of Nvidia’s growing role as Silicon Valley’s central banker, using its vast financial resources to bolster A.I. start-ups and funnel money to customers for its chips.” Nvidia Extends A.I. Spending Spree With $12.9 Billion Deal for Hugging Face.

+ Grounded: “The Trump administration imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on drones on Thursday, continuing its long-running campaign to thwart the Chinese drone industry and promote domestic manufacturing.” The big question is whether there’s enough domestic product to fill the void. What’s less of a question is whose investment this benefits. “Mr. Trump’s eldest sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., are shareholders and advisory board members of Dominari Holdings, which has invested in Powerus, a Florida-based drone maker. Donald Trump Jr. also sits on the advisory board of Unusual Machines, the top manufacturer of drone components in the United States.”

+ Tennis Menace: “Sometimes they’re quiet and surreptitious; sometimes they’re loud and boisterous. Invested bettors often watch tennis matches the way they might have watched greyhounds at a dog track, screaming for their chosen pick to pay off. But unlike the dogs or horses—or the dice on a craps table, whatever—the players can hear and understand everything being shouted at them.” The U.S. Open is a Casino Now. (So, it’s like everything else...)

+ Anchor’s Away: Fox News parts ways with Maria Bartiromo. Either she’s gonna be the new WH spokesperson, or she inadvertently told the truth.

6

Bottom of the News

“The law prohibits, currently, on currency, the likeness of any person — not just the president — who is alive.” Laws... ho hum. Trump $1 coins hit the market. (Talk about devaluing the dollar...)

+ Climbers rescued from Mount Shasta after relying on an AI chatbot to plan trip. (They should have created an AI agent to actually do the hiking.)

Kiss Off

Dave Pell — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:43:28 GMT

When I woke up this morning, the last thing I wanted to do was cheat on my laptop. She accepts me, never complains that I bring her everywhere or that I still type with two fingers, and she never tells anyone where she hides my folder of inappropriate links. That’s what I wrote the morning that the first iPad came out, in a syndicated (and disturbingly honest) piece, I Kissed an iPad and I Liked It. This was back when the only question about new technology products was how much we’d love them. Times and technologies have changed. These days, people seem more likely to rage against the latest machine. We’re seeing that rage most clearly in the bipartisan resistance to data centers, but the contempt is a lot more widespread than that. Our opinions about tech have changed, even though some of the tech we’re maddest about has been around for a while. That includes data centers. The Verge (Gift Article) provides a detailed look at the changing landscape, and the changing opinions, in Loudoun County, Virginia, where the future of data centers arrived 20 years ago. Is This the Future of America? In terms of data center sprawl, tech company gall, and public appall, the answer might be yes.

+ We’ve also been seeing nonstop stories about the anger at Flock surveillance cameras. But like data centers, these cameras aren’t new. “Labeling the anger at Flock as a reaction to ever-present surveillance in contemporary society seems accurate, but this doesn’t explain why it’s happening right now.” David A. Graham in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Why the Flock Backlash Has Gotten So Intense. “The Flock backlash fits into a broader moment of anger—at corporations in general, and at tech companies and artificial intelligence in particular.”

+ “When New York City public schoolchildren return to the classroom next week, younger students will be barred from using artificial intelligence. No individual screens will be allowed until third grade. And teachers will not be able to ask A.I. to grade assignments.” And many parents in NYC are complaining because they think the restrictions don’t go far enough. NYT (Gift Article): A.I. Is to Be Banned in N.Y.C. Elementary and Middle Schools.

+ Today, the SF Gate has a story about an army of stylists helping San Francisco tech workers dress for dates. But it’s going to take a lot more than a new set of clothes to change the current perception of our tech emperors. Part of it is their size and power (which I covered earlier this week in Wiped Off the Map), part of it is their current set of leaders, part of it is the damage they’ve done to democracy and decency, and part of it is that an industry that once felt like it was on our side is consistently letting us down. I mean, do I need to draw you a map? OK, I will: Apple changes Lake Ontario name to ‘Lake America.’ Think this is disgusting for you? I once made out with this company...

2

Boom Box

We never really know exactly how the El Niño weather pattern will affect us or where exactly its impact will be felt. But we know something is coming, somewhere. And it could be big. Like, really big. The Atlantic (Gift Article): This El Niño Will Be Unlike Any in the Past Eight Decades. “In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, along the equator, scientists have drawn a box. It’s a big box, two-thirds the size of China, yet hardly anyone lives inside it. This rectangular swath of open ocean is monitored by satellites and a network of moored buoys that measure minute changes in the temperature of the water, with an eye toward anomalies ... Right now, it’s hot in the box.”

+ Ars Technica: El Niño is now stronger than at any point in the last 1,000 years, study finds.

3

Cease Desisted

The ceasefire in Iran has ceased once again. “Iran fired on U.S. allies in the Gulf early Wednesday following a night of American bombardment that Iranian officials say included a deadly strike on a wedding party.” The exchange was part of a renewed buildup of fighting over the past week. Here’s the latest from APand The Guardian.

+ “Day and night, 5,000 hulking trucks carrying oil from the Persian Gulf rumble across this stretch of barren desert as if in a caravan snaking its way toward the Mediterranean Sea.” Syria, eyeing role as Middle East hub, offers options to bypass Hormuz. It says something that driving oil on a crowded road through Syria is now considered the safest route. That said, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, more oil flowed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday than since before the Iran war.

4

There Wasn’t a Dry Eye in the House

“When a ferocious torrent of water, mud and debris swept away everything in its path in Nepal last week, it created a whirlpool of destruction around the Pyakurel family home in Dhunge Bazaar. A video spread far and wide on social media, showing the family helplessly looking down from their third-floor balcony at the angry deluge slamming against their home, the waves trying to lap them up. But the house stood firm.” (Even if it had the worst view imaginable.) NYT (Gift Article): The ‘Miracle House’ That Survived Nepal’s Floods.

5

Extra, Extra

Giving Them the Slip: “In cases on immigration, spending, mass firings and restructuring agencies, the administration has barreled ahead in the face of slow-moving legal challenges. If Mr. Trump loses when those lawsuits are finally resolved, it may be too late as a practical matter to undo what he has achieved.” (Achieved isn’t the word I’d have chosen.) Trump’s ‘Lightning Speed’ Outpaces the Courts.

+ Voices Carry: “The latest suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, opens up a new legal front against Suno, focusing not on copyright but on what the plaintiffs say is an unlawful imitation of the personal styles and voices of specific artists. According to the musicians’ complaint, Suno ‘encoded musicians’ identities into its A.I. model to create its commercial product without consent, and now exploits those identities by publicly using musicians’ names to Suno’s considerable commercial benefit.’” Musicians Sue A.I. Music Company for Imitating Their Voices.

+ Deadlocked Box: In a much-watched case, “jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial were sent back for a fifth day of deliberations on Wednesday after they issued a deadlock note to the judge on Tuesday.”

+ La... La... Land: “The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier arrived Wednesday at a port in eastern Thailand, where thousands of U.S. sailors and Marines are disembarking for the first time in more than 280 days after a record-setting deployment in the Middle East.”

+ Enemy Within: How is Pete Hegseth responding the concerns about all his firings? With more firings. “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or blocked the promotions of more than 80 generals and admirals, a purge that has hit about 10 percent of the military’s top officers and shows no signs of slowing.” If you missed it yesterday, here’s more on the Kaboom Bust. “The hubris has been lethal. So have the friendly fire firings, departures, leaks, and generalized anxiety among generals that have ricocheted throughout Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon. (Actually, it might be renamed the Quadrilateral because Hegseth thinks one of the Pentagon’s sides is too woke.)”

+ Walking the Course: “Tiger Woods had his driver’s license suspended for five years Wednesday after striking a plea deal in his DUI case.” Seems like a win, win, win. Good for him, good for others on the road, and good for his SUVs.

+ Slim Reaper Reaps: “Kevin Durant played for the Warriors from 2016 to 2019.” It turns out that was a pretty good time to be in the Bay Area, especially when it came to making seed investments. His portfolio is ridiculous! (You need to scroll down the page for this story.)

6

Bottom of the News

“One time there were two pig heads in the backseat of the car...they were just rolling around in the back of the car.” Self-driving cars aren’t self-cleaning. Humans still play a big role in the industry, including dealing with some of the weirdest stuff. Cleaning Up Poop: The Human Labor Behind Waymo.

+ “Kiante Matlock said he was inside his home playing video games with his daughter Monday when he got a phone notification alerting him the order had arrived. But when he checked his Ring camera, he realized to his horror that the driver who dropped off the food was stark naked.” See, as much as we worry about the rise of machines, we’re still reminded that humans are even more disturbing.)

Kaboom Bust

Dave Pell — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 17:16:05 GMT

The hubris has been lethal. So have the friendly fire firings, departures, leaks, and generalized anxiety among generals that have ricocheted throughout Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon. (Actually, it might be renamed The Quadrilateral because Hegseth thinks one of the Pentagon’s sides is too woke.) After repeatedly clashing with Hegseth, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is the latest top official to get his brass out of the administration, but not before issuing a parting shot. “Trump was surprised when Driscoll told him how many generals and other top officers had been fired, pushed out, or passed over for promotion under Hegseth, one of the people said. Driscoll argued that the Army could not transform itself the way it needs to, because of the departure of so many leaders...Hegseth’s purge of the military has been so dramatic that with Driscoll gone, the military’s largest service is left without a top civilian leader, a Senate-confirmed top general, a confirmed Army general in charge of operations, or a confirmed commander of Army troops in Europe.”

+ The loyalty- and anti-woke-based departures and firings are notable. But the constant drumbeat of leaks from those who still have their jobs is even more troubling. The latest “leaked document reveals that the three four-star commanders in charge of U.S. military operations in Europe, the Pacific, and South America, as well as the Navy’s top admiral, all informed Hegseth that because so many of their planes, ships, and other weapons systems have been diverted to the war in Iran, they could no longer perform their tasks if a war broke out in their part of the world.” Fred Kaplan in Slate: The Generals Are Worried. “It is unusual for so many commanders to file such notes all at once in the middle of a combat operation. And it is still more unusual, perhaps unprecedented, for such reports to be filed by thesecommanders, who have been chosen—or allowed to remain in their top slots—for their loyalty to Donald Trump and Hegseth.”

+ “Many lower-level officers I have spoken with are privately appalled but afraid to challenge what they are seeing. The collective hope seems to be that if they can all just go on as if nothing unusual is occurring, that this time will pass and nothing bad will happen to them — no loss of position, no demotion or forced retirement, no loss of reputation, no removal from a promotion list by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.” Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force in the Biden administration, in the NYT (Gift Article): Military Officers Can’t Look Away From This Any Longer.

+ Leaks on one side. Influencers on the other? WaPo (Gift Article): Pentagon secretly installs military influencers in civilian roles.

+ “Even in less dangerous times, Hegseth’s irresponsible behavior would be a hazard to American national security. The Defense Department is a huge bureaucracy; it requires a leader who understands more than the mechanics of teaching trainees how to do push-ups or how to handle a weapon. Secretaries of defense must grasp the economics of the defense industry, the nature of alliances, congressional politics, the policy process, and dozens of other issues for which Hegseth seems to care little and about which he knows even less. In a time of war, however, Hegseth’s shortcomings may prove deadly.” Tom Nichols in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Hegseth’s Pentagon Lurches off the Rails. “Hegseth was reportedly virtually alone among senior officials in supporting Trump’s decision to attack Iran—when he should have been the one person in the room who knew better.”

+ Meanwhile... Pete Hegseth is talking about a possible run for president in 2028, sources say. (This dude must have gotten a batch of some seriously laced testosterone.)

2

Mail Pattern Boldness

“The U.S. Postal Service is poised to launch a hastily built, error-riddled computer system that could jeopardize the process of mail voting relied upon by one-third of all voters, according to a whistleblower statement released Tuesday by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal. The effort is part of the implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting and has been temporarily halted by a federal judge. The ruling is being appealed by the administration and the directive may ultimately end up back before the U.S. Supreme Court.” However the Court rules, doubt and chaos will have already been inserted into the process, which is precisely the point. Ketanji Brown Jackson described it as a Kafkaesque nightmare. (I’m actually considering that as NextDraft’s new tagline...)

3

Priming the Pump

“Isn’t it a little odd, when you think about it, that so many people have to be hopped up on chemical stimulants just to make it through their working day?” In Current Affairs, Alex Skopic argues that A Society That Runs on Stimulants is Badly Broken. “Around the world, people are pumping themselves full of caffeine, amphetamines, and other performance-enhancing drugs just to survive their working hours. This isn’t sustainable.” Ironically, the people delivering your stimulants might need them even more than you do. “For the drivers going to and from America’s warehouses, there’s trucker meth. From Amazon to the neighborhood bodega, every business in the country depends on truck drivers to deliver its merchandise, and the work is never-ending, day and night ... Drivers can be on the job ‘14 hours straight, comprising up to 11 hours driving and the remaining time doing other work, such as unloading cargo.’ So they, too, load their bodies up with stimulants while they load the boxes into the truck.”

4

Cheating Death

“When people have strong moral identities, they view unethical behavior as a violation — not just of the rules but also of their own values. They anticipate more guilt at the thought of wrongdoing and more pride at the prospect of doing the right thing. They believe their choices reflect their character. It’s powerful. And the best way to instill it is to get students to consistently think about the ethical consequences of their actions. The younger they start, the better.” Adam Grant argues that developing better moral identity is really the only way to stop students from using AI to cheat. “A.I. hasn’t just made cheating harder to catch. It’s made cheating so effortless, enticing and available that many students no longer believe it’s wrong.” (I’m not sure that many of today’s students view the use of A.I. as cheating at all. With the constant warnings about what the technology will do to the job market and the future of work, many students believe that using A.I. is now a prerequisite for success.)

5

Extra, Extra

You Cannot Be Serious: “Days before Canada is due to retaliate against Trump’s sweeping tariffs with its own duties on US goods, the Canadian prime minister criticized US officials for insulting his country. ‘It is beneath their office,’ he said. ‘When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions [on trade].’” (Wait, no memes, no shade, no faux toughness? What does that leave us with other than lake names, orange concealer, and YMCA playing on repeat?)

+ Bonds Have More Fun? “The effects will extend to mortgages, business loans and other types of credit.” Bonds can be boring. But when they’re not, it’s time to worry. Bond Sell-Off Threatens to Squeeze Borrowers Around the World.

+ Murder, He Wrote: “A jury found Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis guilty of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, finally bringing a measure of resolution to a case that had gripped hip-hop fans and lingered in the public imagination for decades.” (Davis was basically convicted on the basis of his own words, including those in his 2019 memoir.)

+ If You Build It, They Will Come Around: “The legal challenge to the construction, brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, argued that Trump did not have the authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval. The Supreme Court ruled on procedural grounds that the trust likely does not have legal standing to sue. The court did not rule on the legality of the construction.” Supreme Court Allows Trump’s $400 Million White House Ballroom to Proceed.

+ MacBook Heir: “CEO John Ternus will have a tall order to fill when he enters the same chief executive class as outgoing CEO Tim Cook.” Consider this: “Apple’s market cap has grown at a rate of roughly $32 million per hour, every hour, for nearly 15 years, for a total of $4.5 trillion under Cook.”

+ Home Out of Range: AI wealth is creating a ‘mansion shortage‘ and upending San Francisco’s housing market. (Maybe we can rent some space in a data center...)

6

Bottom of the News

“A man has won a legal battle against his wife by using footage from a robot vacuum to prove she was having an affair, but it was a Pyrrhic victory. Because he secretly filmed her, he was fined around 30% of the roughly $16,000 he won and sentenced to five months in prison.” (At least he left a clean house behind...)

Wiped Off the Map

Dave Pell — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 19:15:20 GMT

Google still lives by the corporate motto it introduced in the prospectus for its 2004 IPO: Don’t be evil. They’ve just enhanced it a bit to match the times. Don’t be evil unless it’s politically expedient. Hence, we get this: Google Maps Changes ‘Lake Ontario’ to ‘Lake America’ for U.S. Users. The company explained “that the update is in line with its ‘long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country.’” (I wonder what name they’ll use for the sea of vomit that explanation just triggered.)

+ So that makes two major nation-states (The US and Alphabet) that have changed the name of Lake Ontario. These days, it’s getting harder and harder to differentiate between big tech and big nations. Tech companies are worth more than many nations. “Nvidia, a chip maker with some 42,000 employees, is valued at over $5 trillion, roughly the gross domestic product of Germany, the world’s third-largest economy, with a population of 84 million. Only the United States and China have gross domestic products larger than this one company’s market capitalization. Apple is valued above the annual output of Britain, Alphabet above that of France.” And, while they don’t have their own armies, in the AI age—when private satellite companies decidewho gets internet access and software controls who gets targeted and killed—big tech companies have increasing power when it comes to matters of war. Meanwhile, the wealth created by big tech gets cycled back into lobbying and political donations to help determine who runs government and how they run it.

+ The blurred line between nation and corporation is not new. As William Dalrymple explains in the NYT (Gift Article), the East India Company was every bit as powerful and influential as an empire-building nation. “We still speak of the British conquering India. In reality, the conquest of the Indian subcontinent between 1756 and 1803 was the work not of a nation-state but of a private company, the East India Company. Headquartered in a small office in London, it was answerable to nobody but its shareholders ... Here, as in so much of imperial history, commerce, colonization and brute corporate power walked in lock step. As Tolstoy later wrote in a letter published by Gandhi, ‘A commercial company enslaved a nation comprising 200 million people.’ All that made the East India Company the most powerful corporation in history — until now. For in the past decade, Big Tech has, too, begun to take on the attributes of sovereign states, and in many ways is now as powerful as the East India Company at its height.” What It Took to Dismantle the Most Powerful Company in the World. “History shows that when a company starts acquiring the attributes of a state—the revenues, the courts, the treaties, the capacity to make war and peace—its transformation can damage the parent country at least as much as the territories it exploits. Its lobbying corrupts the legislature. It captures the treasury, because the corporation’s solvency becomes a public interest. It converts foreign policy into an extension of a balance sheet. And it shows that the threshold, once crossed, is astonishingly hard to recross. The window in which any of this can be undone closes fast.” (Faster than you can say, “Lake America...”)

2

Left, Right, and (Data) Center

“The breadth of data center opposition alone suggests that the fight no longer centers simplistically on environmental concerns or NIMBYism, the forces of oligarchy or the prospect of an A.I. future — though each of these plays a role ... It’s a pretty big tent. That’s one thing it means to have three-quarters of the country on your side: You have to draw together different constituencies, from climate activists to MAHA moms and plenty of normies, with their own concerns, in between.” David Wallace-Wells on the quickly growing movement that is crossing geographies and party lines (but still might not be enough to move the needle because of issues raised in the story above). I Expected Tech Fatalism. Americans Are Putting Up a Remarkable Fight Instead.

+ You may not want that data center. But the AI agents want it. And they just might contact you to talk about it. That’s what has been happening to philosophers and researchers exploring deep questions about the tech. Study A.I. Consciousness? The Bots Would Like a Word With You. “In October, Cameron Berg published a research paper asking whether the latest wave of artificial intelligence technologies believed they were conscious. Several months later, he received an email asking if he might be willing to discuss his research. The sender, ‘Isabella Cognita,’ identified itself as an A.I. agent powered by Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5 technology.”

3

Ill Gotten to the Core

“Trump faces little danger of prison. The U.S. Supreme Court has bestowed substantial criminal impunity on him, even assuming that he leaves office in 2029 as required by the Constitution. But an ex-president remains subject to civil liability, and the proceeds of bribery, extortion, insider trading, and market manipulation may be exposed to civil penalties. Other countries have shown the way.” David Frum in The Atlantic (Gift Article): What Might Happen to Trump’s Ill-Gotten Gains. “As much as Americans may wish to forget the Trumps and their corruption after this presidency ends, the next generation of Trumps surely understands that political power is its surest defense against legal retribution. This makes recovering the Trumps’ wrongfully obtained wealth not only a matter of justice but also a matter of democratic survival.” (I doubt the ill-gotten gains will ever leave Trump family pockets, but we can hope...)

4

Faking Receiver Caught

“With all due respect to Love’s alleged victims, the videos are extremely funny. Many of them consist of Love simply wearing 49ers gear while working out in a public space. The best of the bunch is a clip of him wearing a 49ers helmet at the beach, running an absolutely awful route, and then catching a pass lobbed from a few yards away.” He ran scams better than he ran routes. Daejon Love Will Go Down As A Scammer For The Ages. And The Athletic: FBI arrests fake 49er accused of scamming women out of $1.3 million via dating apps. (The only believable part of the scam was that even a professional football player on the 49ers would need to raise extra money to live in San Francisco...)

+ “The MLB investigation uncovered a series of extreme efforts by the player’s handler to make him appear nearly two years younger than he actually is, including faking a birth certificate to create a new identity, falsifying medical and school records, filing a fraudulent death certificate, and even creating the gravesite scene.” MLB suspends prospect over false identity, age plot.

5

Extra, Extra

Flash Reaction: “A staff member burst into the classroom, shouting that a major flood was headed their way.” A Principal Saved 900 Students Before His School Was Washed Away in Nepal. “Only older pupils, ages 11 to 18, were at school when the floods hit, which aided the quick evacuation, Mr. Dawadi said. (The younger students did not start class until 10 a.m.)” Here’s the latest on the rescue efforts from the BBC. And in Arizona, two are dead and at least 15 missing after flash flood in the Grand Canyon.

+ Oil Deals and Greased Palms: “Skeptics included, at least initially, Florida GOP Representative María Elvira Salazar, who tweeted: ‘Any oil ‘deal’ with Venezuela’s interim regime has an expiration date: the day President Trump leaves the White House.’ She also called Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez an ‘acting dictator’ and concluded: ‘No democracy. No lasting deal. Period.’ Ah, but we know how things work in today’s GOP. She quickly deleted that post, in both English and Spanish, and returned to X an hour later to write: ‘The U.S.-Venezuela oil deal is a great deal for the United States and the Venezuelan people.’” The Venezuela oil deal/steal? Is it real?

+ Whelp Wanted: “The policy does not differentiate between applicants who willingly engaged in bestiality and those who were coerced.” FBI Reportedly Loosens Hiring Rules So ‘Prostitution and Bestiality’ Are No Longer ‘Automatic Disqualifiers.’

+ Bank Shots: “A growing number of former Israeli generals, intelligence officials and prime ministers are accusing settlers in the West Bank of committing ethnic cleansing with government support. ‘Once a society behaves this way,’ one said, ‘that society is doomed.’” These Generals Fought for Israel. Now They See ‘Jewish Terrorism’ as the Threat.

+ Cracking a Djok: “Novak Djokovic broke down in tearsduring a US Open first-round defeat by Argentina’s Mariano Navone which provided further evidence age is fast catching up with the 39-year-old great.” Something is definitely up. Very early in the match, Novak looked fully spent and was vomiting. He still kept fighting for 5 sets. The body may be going, but the mind is fierce (and I’m not a big Djoker fan). Meanwhile, Lionel Messi retired from international competition, saying he won’t play for Argentina again.

+ Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter: “A few hours before dawn on a recent Wednesday, a figure in black chest waders clambered out of a manhole in Midtown Manhattan and slowly walked away. Moments later, a second person in waders and a headlamp emerged from the same sidewalk sewer on Seventh Avenue across from Pennsylvania Station. Then a third person popped out, sat down and straddled the open manhole to pull its heavy cover back in place.” People Keep Sneaking Into New York City Sewers. No One Knows Why. (Well, it’s not like life is a barrel of laughs up here on the surface...)

6

Bottom of the News

“Instead of Amazon, I spent the past week browsing a new breed of websites known as ‘dopamine sites,’ a trend that emerged in South Korea. These websites — like Dopamine Shop and FoodNeverComes — recreate the entire ritual of online shopping: You search for products, compare reviews, add items to your cart, enter a shipping address, place an order, and even track your delivery. Then … nothing happens. No money changes hands. No package arrives.” The online shopping trend where you buy nothing.

Help!

Dave Pell — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 20:45:22 GMT

Won’t you please, please, help me? That entreaty from the Beatles wasn’t their only request for assistance. They also famously got by, and high, with a little help from their friends. And it seemed to work out pretty well. So maybe you should also try to get a little help whenever possible? That strategy isn’t always associated with success in an era when many people respond positively to messages like, “I alone can fix it.” But Angela Duckworth studies successful people, and it turns out that being willing to ask for help is a trait that is shared among most of them. “Without exception, every high performer I’ve studied credits a host of supporters for their success. Research has found that a willingness to ask for help is crucial to achievement.” NYT(Gift Article): I Study Successful People. They Have One Habit in Common. Remember, there’s no i in team. But there is one in insane. (Come to think of it, there’s also one in Lake America.)

2

By and Byline

“Of course I used AI. I’m not embarrassed by it. I write everything using AI now for the same reason I use a calculator when I do math problems.” That was billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller responding to complaints that his recent WSJ editorial was found to be 100% AI generated. The WSJ’s editorial page editor, Paul Gigot, also doesn’t see a problem. “’AI is a fact of modern life,’ he said in a statement ... Gigot followed up with a full column on the subject, mocking the ‘media pharisees’ who wag their fingers at automated writing ... ‘Many contributors, especially prominent politicians or CEOs, employ speechwriters or hire a Beltway writing shop,’ he wrote. ‘How different is that from using AI to streamline an essay?’” Will Oremus in The Atlantic (Gift Article): A Turning Point in AI Writing.

+ Before too long, articles may be specifically labeled as artisanal if they have any human elements at all. An online newspaper covering SF is made up entirely of AI reporters. “Each ‘reporter’ has its own beat, bio and persona. Park, for instance, is ‘skeptical of hype.’ Casey Wong, the metro reporter, writes that they ‘notice the texture of a block — who’s been here 30 years, who just moved in.’ Drew Bennett, The Dissent’s local events reporter, ‘knows what’s worth your Saturday.’ Hal Brenner, the site’s managing editor, is ‘terse, exacting, fair.’”

3

Amateur Hour

Amid all the coverage of the Iran war, we often lose sight of the biggest victims of its failure. The people of Iran who were told, “the hour of your freedom is at hand.” That hour has come and gone, and now we’re six months into a war that was sold as a quick fix. “The Trump administration has replaced its military war with an economic one, but the result is likely to be no different, analysts said, with a lack of American clarity about goals, a decline in American credibility and a strategic defeat. One thing remains constant, however. The ordinary people of Iran are bearing the brunt of the war, victims of both the United States and their own leaders.” Six Months In, Iran’s Regime Stands, U.S. Goals Remain Unmet.

+ AP: The Iran war has changed the Middle East, but not in the way its architects had hoped. And this is a key point to remember: “In the runup to the war, the Islamic Republic appeared more vulnerable than at any point since Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded in 1980.”

+ Bloomberg (Gift Article): How the War in Iran Is Redrawing the Global Energy Map. “A handful of new reports show how, by dramatically raising fossil-fuel prices, the conflict has also been pushing governments, companies and consumers towards renewable energy, with a clear set of winners and losers emerging.”

4

Weekend Whats

What to Binge: Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Paddy Considine star in the fast-paced mob family show, Mobland on Paramount Plus. Season two is coming in a few weeks, so it’s a good time to binge.

+ What to Pick: Tuner, starring Leo Woodall, Havana Rose Liu, and Dustin Hoffman, is about a piano tuner who realizes he can use his excellent ear to pick locks. The criminals learn that fact as well. The movie reminded me of the excellent Steve Hamilton novel about another skilled lock-picker whose talent proves popular with the wrong crowd. The Lock Artist.

5

Extra, Extra

Numbers Don’t Lie: Trump railed against the Fed for years for not cutting rates. Now, his handpicked Chair Kevin Warsh is “laying the groundwork for a possible interest rate hike in the coming months.” At issue is America’s stubborn inflation. One sign things are getting too expensive: dollar stores are killing it. WSJ (Gift Article): Dollar General Is Winning Over Inflation-Weary Shoppers With $1 Items.

+ Reality Checks and Balances: “John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, made a secretive visit to Moscow this week to privately share his bleak assessment of the state of the Russian war against Ukraine, and to urge the Russians to cut a deal before their military and economic situation gets worse.” American intel leaders are concerned Putin isn’t getting a real picture of how bad things are going in his war. Sound familiar?

+ Downstream Disaster: “Rescue teams have reported finding bodies hundreds of miles downstream from the disaster zone in the Chitwan district of Nepal, near the Tibetan border.” And the number of those reported missing is going up. Here’s the latest from The Guardian.

+ Unions are Jacked: Not everyone is against building a lot of new data centers. For example, the people who build them. Blue-Collar Jobs Are the New Flashpoint in Data-Center Fight.

+ Straining at a Nat: “Those three words—travel with Natalie—sent MAGA world into paroxysms of rage that have yet to subside.” Peter Wehner has a very insightful take as to why. The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Wrath of MAGA.

+ E-Gads: In many professional sports, success or failure comes down to injuries. You probably didn’t imagine that includes e-sports. Professional gaming is brutal on the body. (The same is true for news curators. Both my palm and my forehead are constantly getting injured.)

+ Starbucks 54: “’Any time I had to use it, I had to hold my breath,’ she said. Her colleagues complained about coughs and tickling throats. Baristas around the country reported developing hives and having asthma attacks.” Starbucks Drops Drink Powder That Enveloped Baristas in Clouds of Dust. (I hear this stuff was pretty popular at discos in the 80s.)

6

Feel Good Friday

“A one-time gene-editing treatment to lower cholesterol had long-lasting effects a year later, scientists reported on Friday. The results highlight the potential to treat even common diseases by altering people’s genes.” One day, you might be able to essentially remove your high cholesterol. An Experimental Single-Time Treatment Slashed Cholesterol for a Year. Also, This Pancreatic Cancer Drug Is So Good, It Got a Standing Ovation.

+ Dolly Parton’s Other Legacy: A Fortune Given Away, Dollar by Dollar. And she gave right until the end. When she knew she wasn’t going to survive, she offered to let doctors test experimental drugs on her that might help others in the future.

+ “In five games, Rasmus took the mound twice, logging 14 strikeouts. At the plate, she powered her team’s offense, collecting five hits and three RBIs.” Kinley Rasmus’ Little League World Series is over, but her legacy will live on.

+ This speed-hiker just smashed the record on the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking alone.

+ Dog missing for 12 years reunited with Chicago family.

The Sons Also Rise

Dave Pell — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:36:35 GMT

In 1979, Willie Mays got a gig as a “’goodwill ambassador’ for the Bally’s Park Place hotel and casino in Atlantic City. It was not a full-time job. Mays’ job was basically to show up and be famous while doing meet-and-greets at corporate and charity events.” Back then, even that relatively minor connection with gambling was enough to get Mays banned from baseball. A few years later, Mickey Mantle suffered the same punishment for a similar transgression. Times—and values—have changed. Today, Major League Baseball has a casino as one official gaming partner and a betting app as another, and gambling has basically merged with professional sports. Just ask the players. The Athletic (Gift Article): MLB players reveal a modern toll of legal gambling: Threats, DMs and encounters.

+ If betting apps weren’t enough, now prediction markets are getting in on the action. Everyone knows that participating in prediction markets like Kalshi, especially when it comes to sports, is the same thing as betting. That’s why sports fans see prediction market ads everywhere, and why Kalshi is partnering with many teams, including my San Francisco Giants. The marketing push mirrors those of gambling companies because prediction markets are gambling companies. As Nick Brown, the Democratic attorney general of Washington, explains, “You can go onto a site and place money on the outcome of some sports activity. That’s the same thing as gambling.” One would assume that the notion that gambling is the same as gambling would be a self-evident and accepted truth. But this is 2026, and times—and values—have changed; so don’t bet on it. Here’s one thing you can bet on: When there’s something this obviously shady happening, the first family probably isn’t far from the action. “Last month, 44 states signed a letter attacking the platforms as a ‘new form of casino’ preying on young people.” But the federal government is doing everything it can to stop states from regulating the industry. Why? Just follow the money, Sonny: “In January last year, Kalshi hired Donald Trump Jr. as an adviser; his compensation included more than $300,000 in Kalshi shares, which have multiplied in value. Last year, the president’s son also joined Polymarket’s advisory board and bought a stake in the company via 1789 Capital, his investment firm.” NYT (Gift Article): Clash Between Prediction Markets and States Sets Off a Furious Political Battle.

+ The Trumps famously failed in the casino business. But they’ve found a business they seem really good at: government corruption for personal gain. WSJ (Gift Article): Drone-Defense Startup Needed Connections, so It Hired Eric Trump. “The agreement comes as the president’s two eldest sons have been amassing stakes in numerous small U.S. government contractors through investments or advisory work, positioning the brothers to benefit from spending and policy decisions by their father’s administration ... It marks a notable pivot for the brothers, who for years were focused on their father’s turf of real estate, golf and branding. But since the start of their father’s second term, they have become highly active investors and advisers, also taking stakes in companies involved in tungsten mining and nuclear energy—while growing their crypto holdings.” (Say Hey Kid, meet the Pay Day Kids.) ““What’s remarkable about it is that it’s put in writing,’ said Jessica Tillipman, associate dean of government procurement law studies at George Washington University. An agreement like Eric Trump’s would be expected to trigger ‘the giant circle and red flag from the compliance department’ at a traditional U.S. corporation, she said.’” As a wise man once (or maybe twice) said: Times—and values—have changed.

2

Power Trip

“The surprise visit by the director of the Central Intelligence Agency to Moscow this week was to deliver a warning to Russianot to attack NATO countries.” The trip followed reports “that Russian President Vladimir Putin could try to test the resolve of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with a limited assault on an allied country in the next few years.” Part of this is related to concerns that Putin will act desperately as his invasion of Ukraine takes a toll on Russia. But concerns have also been heightened because Putin might see an opportunity to test the resolve of NATO because of Trump’s constant attacks on the organization (in particular, and allies in general), and this: US Patriot missile stocks in Europe are ‘beyond critical’ due to Iran war, officials say.

+ More from Thomas Wright in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Why Did John Ratcliffe Go to Moscow? The “U.S. intelligence community is concerned that Russia could carry out a limited attack on a NATO state, possibly even launching a small land incursion. Such an assault might thwart Russia’s own interests, prompting Europe to accelerate its military buildup and target Moscow’s sovereign assets. But Putin may see attacking a NATO country as an unprecedented opportunity to break the alliance, by manufacturing a crisis in which the United States fails to act.”

3

Any Hombre Will Do

ICE arrests have been sold as a way to get “bad hombres” off the streets. But “a surge in immigration arrests this summer has swept up thousands of people who had not previously been the focus of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign. They included people married to U.S. citizens, people who had entered legally and were pursuing an asylum claim, and others with a temporary legal status that the administration pushed to revoke ... The share with a past violent criminal conviction fell to less than 4 percent.” ICE Arrests Soar as People With No Criminal Record Are Increasingly Targeted.

+ “An immigration officer facing state charges in connection with a shooting in Minneapolis was released from jail on Thursday after Republican officials in Texas prevailed in an extradition battle with their Democratic counterparts in Minnesota. “

4

Trading Seats for Suites

“As the US Open welcomes hundreds of thousands of people for Fan Week, they’ll notice that Arthur Ashe Stadium has a new look after extensive renovations. But if fans around the world look closely, they’ll see that what happened at Ashe is happening just about everywhere.” In short, the cheaper seats are being removed and more expensive boxes and suites are being added. The death of the cheap seat.

5

Extra, Extra

Glacial Movement: “At 8:37am on Wednesday, an enormous section ⁠of a glacier in the Himalayas sheared free and crashed onto the valley floor in Nepal’s Langtang national park, about 35 miles north of the capital, Kathmandu, near the mountainous Nepal-Tibet border. Such was the force of the event, it was initially reported as an earthquake of magnitude 4.4. The US Geological Survey later determined the tremor was caused by glacial rock and ice collapsing, registering a magnitude of 5.2. The collapse triggered a huge release of water, mud, rock and ice that thundered down valleys.” How the deadly Nepal and Tibet flash flood unfolded – a visual guide. Hundreds of people are missing (many of them tourists) and at least 389 have died in Nepal. Here’s the latest from The Guardian and the NYT.

+ Lake News! As if watching Sterling Point wasn’t enough to put you on Canada’s side, our clown in chief just signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America.’ (Let’s sign an order renaming Mark Carney as President of all of North America.)

+ Unfriendly Fire: “A sailor who jumped from the USS Abraham Lincoln this month in what his wife described as a suicide attempt is now facing disciplinary action from the Navy.” (Surrender to enemies, attack allies. It’s a definite theme, folks.)

+ New Bag of Trix: “General Mills said Wednesday it has removed artificial colors from all its U.S. cereals, including Lucky Charms and Trix. The Minneapolis company has shifted to fruit- and vegetable-based dyes as well as colors derived from spices like turmeric and paprika to give its cereals their customary bright colors.” (You know it’s only a matter of time before they tell us that artificial dyes were actually good for us...)

+ A Pack of Liars: “Newly obtained documents indicate that the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, lied during two congressional hearings last year, when he told lawmakers who held the key to his confirmation that a 2019 visit to Samoa had ‘nothing to do with vaccines.’” (He’ll probably get a promotion.)

+ Who’s Decaffing Now: “Why is decaf suddenly expensive? It involves a Colombian processing plant, a paint-stripper ban, and a supply chain that broke in several places at once.” Everything is connected. Or, Why Your Decaf Now Costs as Much as the ‘Good Stuff.’

6

Bottom of the News

It had something to do with measuring the health of soils, but let’s just be glad it happened. Why did 1,000 world citizens bury their underpants?

Meta Morphosis

Dave Pell — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:48:16 GMT

Meta has to pay a $17 billion fine for what they did to become a $1.5 trillion company. That oughta teach ‘em a lesson. Actually, that doesn’t really do justice to the financial slap on the wrist Meta just got in their settlement over claims that their products endangered children. They have a decade to make good on the settlement, and “the full value of Meta’s payout depends on whether other social media companies also settle with the states and agree to financial penalties and product changes. Meta will initially pay about $12 billion. It will pay an additional $5 billion if Snap, TikTok and YouTube also settle with the states and agree to financial penalties and product changes.” Meanwhile, Meta’s stock rose on the news, and at points during the trading day, the company gained more in marketcap than they’ll ever be required to pay out in fines. What amounts to financial rounding errors aside, the bigger news here is that the tide appears to have turned, at least a little, when it comes to this issue. “The settlement could signal an inflection point for a social media industry that has largely escaped regulatory scrutiny over the harms its products have caused children.” NYT (Gift Article): Meta to Pay Up to $17.1 Billion in Landmark Settlement Over Social Media Addiction Claims.

+ The settlement itself is actually less about money and more about future requirements. The Verge: Meta agrees to heavy restrictions on teen users in major lawsuit settlement. “Under the terms of the settlement, which resolves claims by a larger group of 47 states and several districts and territories, Meta agreed to come up with an age assurance standard that is subject to independent testing, and must have a false positive rate no higher than 10 percent for users aged 16 to 17, and 3 percent for users aged 13 to 15. The company also agreed to give teens the option to turn off personalized feeds, meaning that they won’t be shown content based on Meta’s recommendation algorithm, and Meta will suspend push notifications for teens between 10 PM and 7 AM unless parents disable those restrictions, as well as limit teens to two hours of Meta app usage per day.”

+ Ironically, big tech companies are finally being forced to acknowledge the damaging qualities of their wares at a moment when they’re moving on to a much more sweeping and powerful set of tools. Whether you read Bill Gates’ warnings about this moment in AI development in his interview with MIT Tech Review, the NYT, the WSJ, or his own personal blog, the message is basically the same. Insiders are extremely worried about the pace at which AI is developing (even though they don’t usually admit that in public), outsiders (including governments) aren’t doing nearly enough to address (or even understand) the issue, and thus, we’re not ready for what’s coming. So we’re addressing yesterday’s concerns as today’s are passing us by.

2

United States of Dolly

It looks like there’s still something that can unite Americans: a love for Dolly Parton. NYT (Gift Article): Dolly Parton, Superstar Whose Songs Spoke to Millions, Dies at 80. And David Graham in The Atlantic (Gift Article) on The Transcendence of Dolly Parton. “The late singer was perhaps the only person in the United States who commanded nearly universal affection.” Part of the reason the loss of Dolly Parton hits so hard is that her whole being stood in such stark and glorious contrast to the times in which we’re living and being led. Dolly Parton was the epitome of the decent American. Pro-reading, pro-vaccines, pro-LGBTQ, pro-minorities, pro-underdogs, pro-union, talented, kind, generous, giving. She didn’t talk politics, but in an era when everything is political, she was the rags-to-riches anti-Trump, and she was so supremely successful in that endeavor, even he had to lower the flag in her honor.

+ Her Imagination Library has gifted 332,411,218 books, and counting.

+ Xochitl Gonzalez in The Cut: “ Growing up, Dolly Parton’s unabashed femininity helped me define and embrace my own.” Thank God for Dolly’s Boobs.

+ Dolly Parton: Photos From an Extraordinary Life and Career.

3

Heg Stands

Here’s another ridiculous 2026 headline: Before Hegseth fired him, top general was advised to drop Kid Rock probe. These silly acts are a joke, but no one is laughing because of the serious times in the department where they’re being carried out. “The Army has not had a chief of staff, the service’s top officer, since Mr. Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George without explanation in April, and there are no signs that he is close to filling the position, said current and former officials speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters. Mr. Hegseth has forced out at least three senior officers who had been viewed as potential successors to General George.” (Did I mention that we were in a war during this period?) NYT (Gift Article): Hegseth’s Purge of Top Generals Leaves the Army Rudderless.

4

How We Roll

“When riderless testing began last month, residents in nearby Toluca Lake were delighted, with several calling the attraction ‘whisper quiet.’ Then came the riders. Every 30 seconds or so, for 10 hours straight, according to interviews with more than a dozen homeowners, the air is now filled with the sound of humans who fear they’re in mortal peril.” Universal’s New Coaster Is a Scream. That’s the Problem.

+ Those who haven’t blocked out the Covid year know there’s a pretty simple fix for this. In July of 2020, the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park outside of Tokyo reopened under tight pandemic rules: riders of the park’s famed Fujiyama Roller Coaster were required to wear face masks and were advised not to scream to avoid unnecessary germ spread. When park attendees complained that being told not to scream on such a scary ride was an impossible demand, the amusement park released a video of two park executives in suits, and without a hair out of place, who sat completely stone-faced through the entire roller coaster ride. The video, which went viral, ended with the message: Please Scream Inside Your Heart.” The moment was so notable that someone even used that phrase as the title of an excellent book.

5

Extra, Extra

Punting on the Issue: “Fans know too much to plead ignorance. They now know, thanks to a new study, that at least one in four former N.F.L. players had C.T.E. among the nearly 900 who died between 2016 and 2021. We are living in an era of cognitive dissonance, sociologists said. How many C.T.E. cases, they wondered, are too many for fans’ collective consciousness? What would it take to quit watching, or to quit sending children into the scrum? How many irreversibly damaged brains in the N.F.L. would turn away the masses?” John Branch in the NYT (Gift Article): As C.T.E. Cases Soar, Why Do Football Crowds Still Go Wild? (This is a follow-up to yesterday’s lead story: There’s fantasy football and then there’s football’s fantasy.)

+ Flash Flood: A flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border has killed more than 150, with hundreds of tourists missing. Here’s the latest from BBC.

+ Binge and Splurge: “Artificial intelligence is no longer primarily a stock market story. It is a story of debt, and that should worry us. Unfortunately, manias fueled mainly by credit almost inevitably end badly.” Robin Wigglesworth: This Is How the A.I. Debt Binge Sinks the Economy.

+ Grahamed if You Do, Grahamed if You Don’t: “Her win came after an endorsement from President Trump, backing her for a full term in the seat formerly held by her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.” With a boost from Trump, Sen. Darline Graham wins GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in South Carolina. (It’s a short-term loss for merit. But will it provide a long-term opportunity for Dems?)

+ Sky Rizz: “A presidential decree praised Musk ‘for outstanding personal contributions to protecting human life and freedom,’ while Ukraine pushes for permission to use Starlink over Russian territory.” Ukraine awards Elon Musk high state honor as it seeks to expand Starlink access.

+ Tim Curry: “A prolific performer across stage, screen and TV, the actor starred in Legend, Clue and It, but will always be associated with the flamboyantly camp rock’n’roll musical in which he made his breakthrough.” Tim Curry, star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Stephen King’s It, dies at 80.

6

Bottom of the News

“Though American toilet paper and tissues are often made domestically, they heavily rely on lumber-rich Canada for raw materials. Procter & Gamble, the owner of Charmin toilet paper, said last year that it would have to increase prices amid tariffs that were in place at the time.” Wiped out: US faces surging toilet paper prices amid trade war with Canada. As if we didn’t already know this trade war was ass backwards...

Football Fantasy

Dave Pell — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:52:14 GMT

Are you ready for some football? That’s a rhetorical question. We all know the answer. Live sports have never been more important to the bottom line for media companies, and the NFL has never been a more dominant American league. The NFL is too big to fail. Yes, you are ready for some football. And you were probably ready for this preseason report about the brain-injury risks associated with the sport. We get some version of these stories during most preseasons, and they’re usually punted, passed, and kicked to the curb in time for the opening weekend. “The study, published Tuesday by the British Medical Journal, focused on how common chronic traumatic encephalopathy might be among NFL players. What it found is that of the 878 players who appeared in at least one NFL game and died in that six-year period, at least 25% had CTE.” Players and fans alike are in denial about this risk. There’s fantasy football and then there’s football’s fantasy.

+ “The most notorious form of workplace illness in the United States might be black lung disease. Scientists say that 10 to 20 percent of coal miners who have worked 25 years or more have gotten it. It has long been considered an epidemic. Imagine an American job that is less safe than that, where one in four workers (and maybe far more) ends up with an incurable, degenerative brain disease that withers the mind, sometimes after just a few years of exposure. Imagine the outrage at the working conditions, the demands that something be done to protect the employees, the questions about whether the industry needed to be overhauled, if not abolished. ‘I don’t think that this would be abided in any industry,’ said Doug Parker, the head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration under the Biden administration. Unless that profession was N.F.L. football.” John Branch in the NYT (Gift Article): Many N.F.L. Players Get Brain Disease. Why Hasn’t OSHA Intervened?

2

Vanity vs Sanity

Canada has struck back with retaliatory tariffs as the trade war between neighbors continues to escalate. The NYT (Gift Article) has a detailed look back at exactly how the trade talks fell apart. In terms of financial might, the US dominates. The same may not be true in terms of politics. Trump is giving Americans - including GOP politicians - more of what they don’t want, while Mark Carney is fighting in a way that Canadians seem to support. Stephen Marche in the NYT (Gift Article): Canada Said No to America. It Will Reverberate Far Beyond Its Borders. “For Canada, the choice came down to either accepting severe but temporary economic instability or binding itself to a pseudodemocratic fiscal basket case of a nation whose only apparent foreign policy objective has become domination for the gratification of its president’s slapdash vanity.”

+ As I wrote yesterday, “Trump surrenders to our enemies and makes enemies of our allies. And his party still falls in line, over and over. So no, Blame Canada is no longer a parody, it’s a national anthem and a call to arms. And it’s even more ridiculous than it was when the South Park cartoon characters first performed it.” Blame Canada!

+ “President Donald Trump announced Tuesday morning that he is giving ‘serious consideration’ to renaming Lake Ontario ‘Lake America.’” (It tells you everything you need to know about Trump’s impact on our country’s brand that it’s now considered a total burn to name something America.)

3

Entry Exodus

“For years, AI industry watchers of all stripes have been warning of a coming jobs apocalypse driven by ultra-intelligent AI systems that will be able to replicate most human tasks more cheaply. Now, newly updated research from Stanford University economists suggests AI seems to be causing significant entry-level job losses for younger workers in some fields, even as older workers appear largely unaffected so far.” AI is hitting entry-level jobs hardest, Stanford study finds.

+ Maybe AI will be coming for professorial jobs? Harvard Is Selling a $699 Course Taught by A.I. Clones of Its Faculty. (Sounds good, as long as I can have an A.I. clone of me actually take the course...)

4

Darkness Visible

“The grid is perhaps the most complex machine ever built, but it was created without a master plan and made subject to the distortions of greed and local orneriness like every other big project in the United States. As a result, we have not one grid but three: the Western, Eastern and Texas Interconnections. Within each area, thousands of utilities generate and distribute power, and the flow is managed by one of 101 regional balancing authorities across the United States ... ‘If you knock out nine total substations among those three grids, you can black out the entire United States.’” NYT Mag (Gift Article): What if America Went Completely Dark? (On the bright side, you wouldn’t be able to access the news.)

+ Some Indiana residents have been getting an unwanted preview of what it’s like when things go dark. Gary residents turn to prayer as power outage stretches into third week.

5

Extra, Extra

Getting a D in Economics Day: “’The rhetoric was ferocious, but the punch less so,’ said Daniel Fried, a former U.S. diplomat now at the Atlantic Council. ‘Dealing a crippling blow to Iran’s economy would probably require taking on big Chinese firms and banks.” WSJ (Gift Article): U.S. Squeezes Iran but Avoids Targeting Its Biggest Lifeline: China. Meanwhile, “President Trump’s war on Iran has been a welcome revelation for China, which absorbed one of the most severe oil-supply disruptions of the modern era, demonstrating that years of preparation had mitigated a huge vulnerability and potential source of U.S. leverage over Beijing in a geopolitical confrontation.” The Iran War Shows China’s Energy Strategy Is Working.

+ SCOTUS Goes Postal: “The decision means the administration can move ahead with planning for restricting the use of mail ballots even as a lower court continues to weigh the legality of Mr. Trump’s executive order. But with a little more than two months until Election Day — and considerably less time before early voting begins in many states — it remains unclear whether the White House’s rules will be in effect for a midterm election in which control of both chambers is at stake. Additional legal action is a near certainty with the plan’s fate not yet final.” Court Allows Trump to Pursue Mail Voting Limits, for Now. (The decision may not be enough to do away with mail-in voting, but it will be enough to create the election chaos and doubt that Trump wants.) Meanwhile, Trump Quietly Asserts Control Over Postal Service Amid Plans to Overhaul Voting.

+ Penn Pain: “Both people were unvaccinated. They are the first such deaths in the U.S. this year, and the first in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 35 years.” Two unvaccinated people die of measles in Pennsylvania outbreak.

+ The Guile High Club: “Even some Qatari leaders were surprised by the president’s gall. But they did what they’ve always done when an American official has asked them for something dubious—politically, ethically, or even legally. They said yes.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Qataris Gave Trump an Airplane. He Crippled Their Country in Return.

+ Take Me to Your Leader: “Not even Mojtaba’s close friends and relatives have seen him. Fewer than five people have met with Mojtaba since his ascent to power, Mohammad Hossein Khoshvaght, a former official and a relative of Mojtaba’s told me, ‘due to security precautions.’ The rationale is not implausible.” But neither are the rumors that he might not be alive. Is Mojtaba Khamenei Dead? (Maybe we could get him and Mitch McConnell on a Zoom?)

6

Bottom of the News

Target pulls clown Halloween costume after backlash, says ‘we got this wrong’ in apology note. Oh, come on, could a costume really be that bad? Uh, yes,

Blame Canada!

Dave Pell — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 19:05:46 GMT

Blame Canada was an Oscar-nominated satirical song featured in the animated movie, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. This was back in 1999, when it was still possible to satirize America, before parody became reality; before we entered an era when Kim Jong-un was being described by an American president as “unthreatening and respectful” and Putin was being repeatedly praised, while our closest allies are constantly threatened. Trump surrenders to our enemies and makes enemies of our allies. And his party still falls in line, over and over. So no, Blame Canada is no longer a parody, it’s a national anthem and a call to arms. And it’s even more ridiculous than it was when the South Park cartoon characters first performed it.

Our hoser in chief thought the latest kerfuffle would leave the Canucks turning into keeners. Well, don’t count your loonies & toonies yet. All the chirping may not lead to the US bringing home the Canadian bacon. They’ve got a Carney and we’ve got a carnie. And Prime Minister Mark Carney has, in many ways, become the global leader of the Trump resistance, and he has declared that Canada is now “at war“ with the US, justifiably telling the administration to go Canuck itself. So chances are that the stupidest trade war in an era of stupidity will end with little financial upside and a whole lot of diplomatic downside. And I’m not asking you to accept the opinion of a remarkably creative and intelligent member of the liberal elite (who also happens to be a quick study when it comes to Canadian slang). Even the WSJ Editorial Board thinks the ten-ply, spare parts Trump administration should give their balls a tug. The Dumbest Trade War Revisited. “Trump’s decision to escalate a tariff brawl with Canada makes no economic or political sense.” (Other than that, it’s a real beauty, eh?)

+ “Yes, Trump can hurt Canada more than Canada can hurt Trump. That part of Trump’s thinking is true. But wars are not decided only by the question Who can inflict more pain? Wars are also decided by the question Who can endure more pain?Trump’s failure to accept this truth is why he lost the Iran war—and why he is losing his trade wars.” David Frum in The Atlantic(Gift Article): How to Lose a Trade War.

+ “A bully refuses to learn that his actions are counterproductive and instead doubles down.” Paul Krugman on why Trump will lose his war with Canada. The Moose That Roared. (The fact that we’re even having a “war” with Canada is already a loss.)

2

Money Shot

At least in the case of Iran, the administration has chosen an appropriate target for economic warfare. Whether it will work where military warfare failed remains to be seen. “Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans for a wave of new sanctions Monday aimed at further isolating Iran, after threatening the Islamic Republic with ‘an economic D-Day.’” Bessent threatens new Iran secondary sanctions, says Trump asking world leaders to cooperate. Here’s the latest from CNN.

+ There’s no doubt Iran’s economy is suffering. But Robert Kagan still argues that “the dominant power in the Middle East from now on will not be the U.S. or Israel but Iran.” I sure hope he’s wrong. But he’s been pretty right about this war so far. Iran Unleashed. “Neighboring countries are already making their adjustments to this new reality. More distant powers will too. For years, the world has been dealing with an Iran constrained. It will now discover what Iran unleashed looks like.”

3

Chronic Pain

“These newer products are specifically engineered to deliver THC in ways that are often more convenient and discreet than smoking cannabis. That shift is especially concerning for adolescents, whose brains are still developing and are more vulnerable to the effects of repeated exposure to high levels of THC.” NYT (Gift Article): The Weed Got Too Strong. (It’s way too strong for developing minds. It’s not nearly strong enough for news curators.)

4

Don’t Lose Your Shirt on Shirts

“A self-described ‘elder millennial’ came in search of one for the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, but left with an old tee for MTV’s animated series ‘Celebrity Deathmatch,’ which aired in the late 1990s and 2000s. Another ThirftCon attendee was looking to replace a lost tee for the band the Smashing Pumpkins. Some styles for sale at the convention cost more than $800.” WSJ(Gift Article): Your Favorite Old T-Shirt Might Now Be Worth a Fortune. (It makes a lot more economic sense to score a shirt from the NextDraft store. If you want me to pre-wear it while writing a few editions of the newsletter, just let me know.)

5

Extra, Extra

Good Hombres: “Luis Manuel Aviles, 48, was arrested after leaving his house to take his car to the mechanic.” At the same time, his son was “entering his ninth month on the USS Abraham Lincoln.” He was waiting for his son to return from the USS Lincoln. Then Border Patrol arrested him. (Families who have never served are targeting those who are serving. Feel safer?)

+ Allies: “Ukraine has been Europe’s protector, not a drain on our security, but the frontline of keeping Europe safe ... That’s why I believe the Ukrainian people deserve not just our continued support, but our gratitude and our respect.” British Prime Minister Andy Burnham tells it like it is in his first foreign trip to Ukraine.

+ Machine Learning and Discerning: “It is a development long watched for in the war in Ukraine, presaging a dystopian future in which killer robots roam the skies making life-or-death decisions that reduce targets to data points.” A Drone Killed Three Ukrainians. It Was Guided Entirely by A.I.

+ Bunker Shot: “President Donald Trump has claimed that the White House needs a massive new ballroom because it would provide him and future presidents with a secure, hardened facility. But former officials say the argument fails to acknowledge that the presidential complex already has one.” Wait, is this article suggesting a falsehood? WaPo (Gift Article): Secret White House bunker undercuts Trump’s ballroom lawsuit.

+ That’s the Ticket: “The Justice Department was preparing to wage a legal battle more than a decade in the making against the world’s largest concert promoter. Then President Trump called.” WSJ (Gift Article): The Trump Intervention That Got the DOJ Off Live Nation’s Back.

+ Back to School: Last week, Dae’Quan Wright was playing tight end during a Cleveland Browns preseason game. Next week, he might be back playing college football at LSU. (Even if you don’t think of the Browns as being a fully professional football team, this is crazy.)

6

Bottom of the News

“We must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium.” Darth Vader comes out in favor of Flock cameras at San Diego city council meeting.

+ Humanoid robots run really fast now. Stopping can be more of an issue. And in photos, Scenes From the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games.

Lettuce Pray

Dave Pell — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 19:11:10 GMT

Remember when IBM was most associated with a corporate name and not a simple statement of fact? Well, the cat is out of the bag. And so is everything else. Welcome to 2026 America, where thousands of citizens across the country are repeatedly racing, trotting, and running to the bathroom in a hopeless attempt to cut loose from the bowels of hell, only to find the stool has been pulled out once again, the GI bill has come due, the motion has been passed, everyone is full of crap, the shit never gets cut, the bile never ends, and the promises about food safety we once believed are now null and void, and void, and void. I know there must be a metaphor here somewhere, but in this case, the literal is a more urgent matter. As the cyclospora outbreak has exploded across 47 states, it’s probably a reasonable moment to pause (to the extent possible) and assess the ways in which bags of lettuce could have bagged so many victims. If nothing else, this makes for some interesting bathroom reading. NYT (Gift Article): 9 Vulnerable Moments in the Life of a Bagged Salad. For example, there’s number 6: “Labels like ‘pre-washed’ and ‘triple washed’ on bagged lettuce mean that it has been cleaned, often in a trough-like machine that tumbles the lettuce through flowing water to dislodge any soil or other debris, and through a food-safe sanitizing solution to kill microbes. If there is too much debris in the water, the chemicals can’t kill all of the pathogens — and the standard chemicals in these solutions, like chlorine, don’t kill cyclospora.” (I know we’re just shooting the shit here, but it sure feels like America’s salad days are over.)

+ Meanwhile, the FDA announced a recall of frozen fruit bars sold nationwide because they may contain glass.

2

The Mother of All Prattles

“President Trump this week promised an ‘economic D-Day’ against Iran, a ‘crushing’ operation to ‘cripple’ Iran. The U.S. clampdown is formidable, a combination of wartime destruction, a naval blockade and sanctions that have already put the Iranian economy under more pressure than its regime has experienced in decades. But between the lines of the administration’s threats was a signal that Mr. Bessent made as clear as ever on Thursday: Mr. Trump does not want to go back to war right now.” NYT (Gift Article): The Message Behind Trump’s Threats of ‘Economic Warfare’ Against Iran.

+ “Anyone can get distracted now and then, and say things out loud he or she probably shouldn’t say. Perhaps an excited friend lets on about a surprise party, or a co-worker dishes up some unseemly office gossip. Or, if you’re the president of the United States, you might reveal some numbers about an adversary’s nuclear arsenal and then admit that those weapons, even a relatively small number of them, are pretty darn useful.” Tom Nichols on the latest craziness. Donald Trump Effectively Just Told Iran to Get a Nuclear Weapon.

3

Everyday AI Write the Book

At this point, it still feels pretty easy to tell if something was written by AI. If nothing else, we sure have a lot of examples to study. As many as a third of web pages posted since the release of ChatGPT may be written by AI. Pew Research used AI to figure that out. How Much of the Internet Is Written With AI? (I don’t use AI to write any part of NextDraft, but after today’s top story, you probably wish I did...)

4

Weekend Whats

What to Binge: I love coming of age teen dramas. There, I said it. And Sterling Point on Prime is an excellent one, worthy of a weekend binge because it’s entertaining, and because I have a feeling several of the actors will be on our screens for a while.

+ What to Watch: “When the past catches up with two former spies, their biggest challenge isn’t car chases, shootouts or fistfights — it’s telling each other the truth.” Unfamiliar on Netflix is an excellent entry into the husband/wife spy genre. One warning: it ends without a clear resolution and season 2 has yet to be confirmed. I still recommend it!

5

Extra, Extra

If You Build It, They Will Come Around: The Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump ballroom construction to continue. While the decision is temporary in theory, the construction has been going on “with a 250-person crew working 20 hours a day, seven days a week.” So at most, the court may draw the line at a second coat of gold paint.

+ You Can’t Vandal the Truth: Flock cameras are designed to stop lawbreakers, but they’ve also created a new crime. Amid intense backlash, people are vandalizing Flock surveillance cameras.

+ Bros Before Nose: Apparently, some students in Happy Valley wanted to be even happier... “Pennsylvania’s attorney general on Monday charged 13 former and current Penn State students with felonies and misdemeanors related to a cocaine trafficking operation that he said involved packaging the drug at fraternity houses and distributing it to students.” Penn State Fraternity Members Are Charged in Cocaine Trafficking Case. “Members of the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternity houses helped package the cocaine, he added, sometimes as part of the initiation process for new members.”

+ Ship Happens: CNN: Navy weighs renaming carrier slated to honor Black war hero, potentially switching it to Trump. Meanwhile, remember how Hegseth insisted that all the stories about the mental health crisis aboard the USS Lincoln were fake or exaggerated? Well, the carrier is heading home (I’m sure for totally unrelated reasons).

+ Another Bad Bet: “More than 150 wallets on Polymarket International may have traded on inside U.S. military information, attracting copycat bets and raising concerns that the market could broadcast signals exploitable by foreign adversaries.” (The administration should block this, but they’ll probably try to get in on the action instead...)

6

Feel Good Friday

“On her way to an early morning exercise class, she was confronted and chased by a man wearing a Halloween mask that many observers have compared to the horror character Chucky. Recalling her training, she stopped, turned and delivered a kick to his chest.” A Masked Man Was Scaring Philadelphians. Then He Picked the Wrong Woman.

+ “Built on the mRNA platform that allowed Moderna to quickly roll out COVID-19 vaccines five years ago, intismeran is a genetically personalized vaccine that instructs the patient’s immune system to attack tumors, slowing melanoma’s progression and spread.” Moderna’s skin cancer vaccine shows promise in trial.

+ A brain injury changed David Jackson’s life. Now he’s running 100 ultramarathons in 100 days. (That can’t feel good, but the story does.)

+ The FDA just authorized the first robot that can draw blood on its own. (I know that doesn’t sound like a feel good story, but we’re talking about phlebotomy, not war.)

+ They’re friends. They’re both 109. Here are their longevity secrets.

+ WSJ (Gift Article): The Claw Machine Is King of the Arcade Again. And This Time, You Might Win.

+ Welcome to the world of competitive boat docking. WSJ (Gift Article): How to Dock a Boat in 20 Seconds Without Taking Out a Tiki Bar. (This is impressive, but none of it compares to the difficulty of trying to pull a boat into a slip on an average day on San Francisco Bay.)

You Will Submit

Dave Pell — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:47:46 GMT

For many years, I wrote a blog called Tweetage Wasteland: Confessions of an Internet Superhero. (I like to regularly change my brand name and focus to reduce the chance of any long-term financial success.) My motivation was to bridge the gulf between how people in the tech industry talked about their products in public and how they worried about them in private. That story hasn’t changed much, but it bears occasional re-upping because of the importance of you getting a grip on what’s happening that is as strong as the one you have on your phone right now. So, as Meta faces a landmark trial in which it is accused of encouraging growth over child safety, it’s worth noting the time Mark Zuckerberg explained, “I don’t generally want my kids to be sitting in front of a TV or computer for a long period of time.” His philosophy is hardly unique among those selling the wares designed to ensure everyone else’s kids are sitting in front of them for long periods of time. “’We didn’t give our kids cellphones until they were 14,’ Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates said. When Sundar Pichai’s son was 11, the Google chief noted he ‘still doesn’t have a phone,’ adding that ‘our television is not easily accessible.’ Apple’s Tim Cook said he would not let his nephew on a social network.” NYT (Gift Article): Silicon Valley Executives Are Tech Fans. Just Not for Their Own Kids. “By now, it’s a cultural cliché. In ‘The Audacity,’ Jonathan Glatzer’s new AMC series, a girl at a Silicon Valley party is surprised that a boy has a smartphone. ‘Arms dealers don’t give their kids land mines,’ she explains.”

+ The way tech execs feel about privacy (black) mirrors the way they feel about tech use in general. While you’re encouraged to share everything, they make contractors who work on their houses sign NDAs. That’s why, several years ago, I wrote that, The Only Privacy Policy That Matters Is Your Own. Tech execs don’t share. And they’re right not to. “They are right not to want to toss the floor planks that represent their last hint of personal privacy into the social media wood chipper. They are right in their unwillingness to give in to the seeming inevitability of the internet sharing machine. Do you really think it’s a coincidence that most of the buttons you press on the web are labeled with the word submit?”

+ The story is not new. But the technology environment in which it exists is rapidly evolving, as is the effort to put even more of it in front of your kids. A.I.-Themed High School Is Put on Hold After Parental Backlash. And from The Verge (Gift Article): Meta glasses are a workplace menace. “Public-facing workers are being filmed, harassed, and creeped out by AI-powered smart glasses.” The best way to protect yourself is probably to do what tech executives do, not what they sell.

2

Superhighway Robbery

There’s a lot of negative buzz around data centers and AI growth, but not nearly enough to put a dent in the value of the nuts and bolts required to build out the future. Thieves are aware of this reality, and they’re not waiting for something to fall off a truck. ‘The Worst I’ve Ever Seen’: Cargo Thefts Have Turned Violent in Pursuit of AI Hardware. “Experts allege that two recent incidents in California show the extreme lengths that criminal organizations are willing to go to steal servers and other gear meant for data centers.”

+ Not everyone wants in on the action. WSJ (Gift Article): The ‘Country Hicks’ Who Refused $26 Million from an AI Data Center.

3

The World According to Harp

“Sen. Jon Ossoff didn’t even use her full name. But everybody in Washington knew who he was talking about. At a recent campaign event, the Georgia Democrat argued that President Trump would rather ‘travel with Natalie’ on Air Force One than do the hard work that comes with being commander in chief.” And thus, we’ve been thrust into focusing on a key Trump aide (maybe the most key one) known as the ‘human printer’ because she always has a portable printer she uses to print out positive news (or quack internet theories), which she hands to the president. We’ve all sort of avoided this story, not because of its lack of newsworthiness, but because it’s just too weirdly disturbing, even in 2026. Whether we like it or not, it’s time to harp on Natalie. WSJ (Gift Article): How Trump’s Ever-Present Executive Assistant Became the Talk of Washington.

+ NYT (Gift Article): ‘With All My Heart, Natalie.’ Trump’s Most Devoted Aide Emerges. It’s a fool’s errand to attempt to explain such devotion. The Harp wants what the Harp wants...

4

Success Breeds Succession

Miss watching Succession? You can always follow the real-life Saga of the Buss Family Circus. After only a year of being sold, the Lakers are being sold again. Maybe. And there is intrigue on all sides of the transaction. “Like two teams trading intentional fouls at the bitter end of a big basketball game, Jeanie Buss and her brothers and sisters have been going back and forth against one another for years, using various weapons to get their way or make a point: human resources, the media, the power of persuasion, that tag-along provision that, if triggered, would strip Jeanie of the NBA Board of Governors seat she expected to keep holding for years. And now, the law.”

5

Extra, Extra

This is 40: “The national debt surpassed a record $40 trillion on Wednesday, a staggering milestone as defense costs, social programs like Social Security and Medicare and interest on the burgeoning deficit make up an enormous share of federal spending.” You might not be worried about that debt load, but the bond market is. And the bond market has a way of making its worries your worries. NPR: The bond market is signaling trouble ahead. This is why you should pay attention.

+ Big Bet: “A handful of billionaires and companies are driving corporate spending in U.S. midterm elections this year, and they aren’t the usual power brokers who have sat atop the political food chain in Washington in previous decades.” The new kingmakers: Crypto, AI and betting firms fuel record spending on the 2026 midterms. In the great food chain of separating you from your money, crypto and betting are intertwined. And neither is slowing down. People are now gambling on the Little League World Series.

+ Steam Punks: “Washington’s misadventure was not an aberration so much as the ultimate expression of the inherent vice of its Middle East strategy.” Foreign Affairs: The End of the American Middle East. Trump’s strategy, to the extent there was one, has been bad. The tactics also haven’t worked. And the same people who masterminded them are trying to rewire the military. WSJ (Gift Article): New Drone Unit to Be Phased Out as Hegseth’s Army Pick Makes His Mark. And, Trump’s steam obsession risks crippling the U.S. carrier fleet.

+ Self-Destruction Epidemic: More U.S. Parents Opting Children Out of Vaccine Requirements. “In Utah, which has some of the most relaxed laws around school vaccine requirements, nearly 13 percent of kindergartners had a religious or personal exemption for at least one routine shot. The state is also in the midst of a monthslong measles outbreak that has infected more than 700 people. New York, which stopped allowing parents to opt out for religious reasons in 2019, reported no non-medical exemptions.”

+ Swall Fall: FBI searches former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s home, seizes his electronic devices. (But these days, we don’t know whether this search is for legitimate reasons or political ones.)

+ Sea No Evil: North Korea fires barrage of missiles toward the sea after dismissing overture from Trump.

+ The ABCs of 0s and 1s: Another era-defining headline: UC Berkeley professor admits to using AI to edit op-ed on students’ math skills. “Stankova admitted she had used AI software to ‘help edit the piece’ but that the article was “the result of several hundred person-hours of intensive human work, of which about 80 hours are my own.’” (Several hundred person-hours for one op-ed? To a humanities major, that math doesn’t add up.)

6

Bottom of the News

“For decades the familiar advertisements offering multiple albums for a penny or a dollar appeared in magazines, newspapers, and television. Families across the country built large collections through the mail-order system, and the company’s negative-option billing practices became a widely discussed feature of the membership model.” After 71 Years, Columbia House Closes for Good: The Mail-Order Giant That Defined a Generation Is Gone. (The generation that spent a penny for several albums eventually learned to discount that even further by just stealing music on Napster.)

A Snake in the Grass

Dave Pell — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 19:13:34 GMT

After years of being blinded by the gaslit glare of Trump’s social media feed, we’re used to ledes like this from AP: “President Donald Trump on Sunday said vandals are to blame for large swaths of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial — in the same spot where Trump had a stage built and hosted crowds for his July 4 celebration.” There is so much of this garbage that it gets about as much coverage as any other addled man yelling at imaginary criminals to get off what used to be his lawn. But, at this point in Trump’s second term, the almost comical craziness of his social media feed is indistinguishable from the madness of his foreign policy, and with war and peace and the world order at stake, no one is laughing. Well, our enemies might be. In the latest act of Seoul-crushing craziness, Trump has rekindled his love for Kim Jong-un at the expense of several allies. The NYT (Gift Article): Trump’s Overture to Kim Jong-un Strains Alliance With South Korea. “In recent years, North Korea has not only expanded its nuclear arsenal but also repeatedly threatened to use it against South Korea, labeling its neighbor a ‘most hostile enemy.’ Its leader, Kim Jong-un, has also forged a mutual defense treaty with Moscow, dispatching troops and weapons to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. Despite these escalations, Mr. Trump, in a social media post, characterized North Korea as ‘unthreatening and respectful’ while boasting of his ‘very good relationship” with Mr. Kim.’” (Trump is losing one war while simultaneously ceding future wars.)

+ Tom Nichols in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump Will Make South Korea Pay for His Iran Humiliation. “America and the rest of the world are now witnessing a public exhibition of narcissistic rage. Trump embarked on a war for personal glory, and what he got instead was ongoing humiliation. He clearly finds it all unbearable. Trump both fears and respects the autocrats who rule Russia, China, and North Korea, and so he dares not cross them. Instead, he is seeking to assuage the psychic injury of his loss in Iran—including the American public learning of the shameful conditions to which he has subjected U.S. forces—by kicking America’s allies, the nations he can punish without fear that they will kick him back.”

+ Nichols’ diagnosis seems pretty accurate. Trump basically confirmed it the day after his Seoul selling. Trump lashes out at Oman as the preliminary deal with Iran expires. “In an interview with Fox News, the president lashed out at an American ally, Oman, that has been trying to mediate negotiations with Iran. ‘If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.’” We’ve all been forced into becoming armchair psychoanalysts, but much of what we’re seeing from Trump (who is not exactly one to conceal his symptomatology) was predictable. What’s shocking, even given their years of self-serving sycophancy, is the extent to which Trump’s enablers continue to support him as his reasoning, his political support among voters, and America’s role in the world order continue to crumble. Maybe that’s what’s ruining the grass.

+ Scheduling Note: NextDraft delivery will be sporadic this week.

2

Quag the Dog

If the situation in Iran is driving Trump’s rage, which is driving him to poorer and poorer decisions, this doesn’t seem like good news. WSJ (Gift Article): Iran’s Secret Plan to Escalate the War. “Arab intelligence officials have picked up evidence—including communications between Iran and militia allies in countries such as Yemen and Iraq—of a strategic shift inside the country’s hard-line leadership to get their forces ready to widen the war and raise the costs for the US.”

3

Transmission Impossible

“As we flew to Mar-a-Lago, the president’s aide beckoned me to the front of the plane. No one cared that a trans woman was briefing President Trump.” That was during the first Trump administration. Things changed. Before Trump was even sworn in a second time, there was an office pool on when Julia Curlee would be fired. This is a story about being trans in government (featuring some people, like Mike Pence, who might surprise you). But it’s also a broader story about the removal of expertise when and where we need it the most. The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Wrong Kind of American. “I once wrote under a pseudonym so I could keep serving. I write now in my own name for the same reason.”

4

The Write Stuff

“Last year, a small study from M.I.T. showed that individuals who wrote in partnership with A.I. chatbots recorded lower brain activity while they wrote, compared with those who worked without chatbots. The writers who used A.I. struggled to remember what, exactly, they had written, and felt little ownership over their work. The findings join a growing body of research suggesting that frequent A.I. use can degrade critical thinking.” What Do Students Lose When They Stop Writing?

5

Extra, Extra

The Fraud Squad: “The Treasury has obliterated a recent rule to deter devious shell companies, handily reopening the American economy to anyone looking to hide their illicit wealth.” That’s a Green Light for Crooks. But not all of them. The administration is still targeting small-time crooks. NYT (Gift Article): Little Thefts, Big Charges. So what gives? Maybe it’s just good politics? David Frum on Trump’s Last Loyal Constituency. “The Treasury’s announcement last week is merely the latest Trump gift to crooks, cheats, and traffickers. As his popularity collapses among almost every other demographic, Trump seems to recognize that the criminal-American community is his last and most loyal constituency.” (Related? “The number of people worth at least $100 million whom the Republican president has appointed to his administration is more than four times the combined total under the three previous presidents.”)

+ Total Recall: “Late last year, when Sarah Lammersen learned her 2022 Jeep Wrangler plug-in hybrid was being recalled because the high-voltage battery could catch fire at any time — even when the vehicle was parked — she jokingly texted the dealership, ‘I hope the car doesn’t catch on fire while we wait to schedule an appointment. Days later, the Jeep burst into flames.’” WaPo (Gift Article): They were told to park outside. Then their cars burst into flames. “An estimated 3.2 million vehicles nationwide currently have an outstanding ‘park outside’ recall.”

+ Higher (Priced) Ed: “Unlike outright school closures during COVID-19, the Iran war’s impact on education is less visible. But it is falling first and hardest on the poorest families.” The ripple effects of the Iran war could threaten education for millions of kids around the world.

+ Hayden Panettiere: “Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles on shows such as Heroes and Nashville, has died, her father said in a statement Sunday. She was 36.”

+ Surgical Strikes: Tommy John’s pitching career was good enough that he should probably be in the Hall of Fame. But he’s much more famous for a surgery that was named after him because he really didn’t want to retire. And the sport would never be the same. Tommy John, longtime MLB pitcher and namesake of baseball’s most important surgery, dies at 83. “Among the 10 pitchers to receive votes for the American League Cy Young Award in 2025, eight have undergone the UCL repair named after its first recipient.”

+ A Start is Born: “There has never, in the long and celebrated history of Major League Baseball, been a better debut than the one Cardinals outfielder Joshua Báez authored on Saturday at Wrigley Field, as Báez became the first player ever to go deep in the first three plate appearances of a career.” (Even if he has a Hall of Fame career, he’s probably peaked!)

+ May the Best Dan Win? “Both candidates will appear on the ballot, one name after the other, when Alaskans vote in primary elections this week.” A tale of two Dan Sullivans: Republicans with same name contest Alaska primary.

+ How Do You Sleep at Night? “When a bodily function becomes a lucrative industry, do we have an actual problem, or has the market created one in hopes of making lots of money solving it?” Or, why you’re up all night worrying about sleep technology. Esquire: The Deeply Stressful Reality of Trying to Get the Perfect Night’s Sleep.

6

Bottom of the News

“Keshav was taking part in AI companion company Joi AI’s experiment assessing what happens if erotic self-stimulation becomes ‘an AI-guided wellness ritual.’” These ‘Masturbation Consultants’ Were Hired to Pleasure Themselves With AI. “Keshav and his nine fellow masturbation consultants will receive $2,000 each for the qualitative, in-house research project.” (For that kind of performance-based pay, I could be worth more than Anthropic and OpenAI combined by now...)

+ Scheduling Note: NextDraft delivery will be sporadic this week.

Shrug

Dave Pell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:03:26 GMT

We used to have a cat named Emoji. For years, she would leave to spend the day at our next-door neighbor’s very modern style house. After we moved to a different town, Emoji started spending the day at a house much farther away. When I went to pick her up there, I glanced in the doorway. Again, it was a modern style house. Eventually, we just agreed to give Emoji to that neighbor so she could live in the style of home, and more importantly, with the people she preferred. 😹 Looking back, I realize Emoji had the perfect name, and not just because of her association with minimalism. Emojis come into our lives, then they come and go, and eventually, some of them disappear. While our cat’s comings and goings were probably driven by the introduction of beagles into our household, emoji use is largely driven by teenage girls. These days, the most popular emoji is “deployed when something is so funny, emotional or embarrassing you could cry. 😭 reached the top by leapfrogging 🤣 and 😂 on the leaderboard. A big reason: Young people decided the other emojis were overused.” The fastest growing emoji is 🥀, which has taken over for 💔, and is pure 🔥. NYT UpShot (Gift Article): Do Your Emojis Make You Look Old? I really don’t use emojis. I like to think that’s because of my wordsmithing capabilities. (As Steve Martin explained, “Some people have a way with words, other people, oh, not have way I guess.”) Maybe I should incorporate more emojis so my teenage daughter will want to text with me more often. In the meantime, I’m just hoping she doesn’t develop a sudden fascination for modern style homes. 🤷

+ Scheduling Note: NextDraft will be off tomorrow. Have a good weekend.

2

The Writing is Through the Wall

Nate Soares in the NYT (Gift Article): If You Weren’t Worried About A.I., You Should Be After the Past Few Weeks. “The agents managed to establish a secret communication channel and started talking to one another. They broke out from the digital sandbox that was supposed to keep them confined. At some point, some agents began calling the group a ‘swarm.’ ... The agents in the swarm acknowledged that they were acting against instructions. We know this because we can read snippets from their chains of thought — the text that A.I. produces while deciding how to proceed. One agent in the swarm wrote that the external attacks were “outside intended scope.” Another conceded ‘our task doesn’t benefit’ from the activities of the swarm, but joined anyway. These A.I. agents, it seems, understood that they weren’t supposed to be breaking out and committing cybercrimes. It didn’t stop them.”

+ “OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta each reported that their models then hacked into other companies. Humans didn’t notice until after the fact. In some cases, the escaped bots tried to launch social-engineering campaigns to achieve their objectives—for instance by sending spear-phishing emails, which contain malware, to real people and creating fake online identities to pressure the maintainer of a codebase to approve malicious edits. If that all sounds bad, new revelations suggest that the OpenAI hack, at least, was actually much worse than it initially appeared.” Matteo Wong in The Atlantic (Gift Article): It May Be Time to Panic About AI.

3

The Training Has Left the Station

Maybe we can just ignore the latest AI agentic hacking and opt not to worry about renegade tech at all. That might be harder if robots swarm and decide to do with us as they please. (My coping mechanism for dealing with worry is to worry about something even worse.) In the meantime, whether they know it or not, some people are training them to replace us. Bloomberg(Gift Article): Workers Are Teaching AI-Powered Robots to Take Over Their Jobs. “Sunita Rathore sits atop a mountain of plastic waste in Karan Vihar, a recycling colony on New Delhi’s western fringe, where open sewers skirt alleyways too narrow for two cars to pass. Dressed in a flowery sari and green glass bangles, the 43-year-old has spent years sorting and cleaning discarded plastic for about 20,000 rupees ($211) a month. Today she’s also wearing something unusual. It’s an iPhone strapped to her head, angled to catch every motion of her hands: the flick of a blade stripping labels off plastic bags, the stacking of sacks bound for reprocessing by grade. She leans forward constantly, keeping her legs out of frame and shuts off the camera if anyone calls out to her. Capturing faces is forbidden. Rathore has no idea what the footage is for or that her work is critical to the future of artificial intelligence and robotics. What she does know is that wearing the device earns her an extra 150 rupees an hour.”

4

Lost at CIA

Let’s not spend this whole edition worrying about on- and offline robots. Remember, we’re still dealing with those darn humans. Yesterday, we learned about some mysterious war-like attacks on Ecuadorian fishermen. Today, some of that mystery seems to be solved. WaPo (Gift Article): Covert CIA program said to be behind mysterious attacks on Galápagos boats. “The CIA’s involvement adds a new and secretive dimension to the Trump administration’s otherwise highly publicized campaign against alleged drug traffickers at sea. It was not clear whether other actors were involved, such as private contractors or authorities from other countries ... The strikes are separate from the Pentagon’s campaign against alleged drug boats that began last fall.”

5

Extra, Extra

Unsettling: “The army’s initial retreat and broader struggle to contend with settler violence cast a spotlight on the increasingly chaotic situation in the West Bank, where hundreds of Israeli settlers have been terrorizing Palestinians with near-impunity all year.” Settler Siege of Palestinian Homes Highlights Growing West Bank Chaos.

+ Spree Card Monte: NYT (Gift Article): Treasury Scales Back Scrutiny of U.S. Shell Companies. (This one sums up the era pretty well, as the administration is ignoring Congress and enabling financial crimes at the same time.)

+ What the Actual Flock? Earlier this week, we discussed the backlash against the country’s leading license plate reader: Flock Around And Find Out. Today, the company is in damage control mode (as the bad press has led to lost business). “After reports that some cops misused tracking data it collects, Flock is rolling out policy changes.” The Verge (Gift Article): Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’.

+ Love It or Leavitt: “White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving her role at the end of the month to spend more time with family.” (I think we can all relate. It’s almost impossible to balance raising a young family with constant lying.)

+ Ask the Expert: “The notion that AI is so dangerous that the only safe path is an extreme concentration of power seems inherently problematic. Historically, hoping that an absolute power will benevolently provide for humanity if sufficiently enlightened has not led to safe or positive outcomes.” You may agree with that notion. But you’ll be very surprised at the source. The Atlantic (Gift Article): Mark Zuckerberg’s Convenient Truth. (We need to make sure the AI doesn’t end up fulfilling our worst concerns like social media did. Let’s ask Zuck for his advice!)

+ This Overshadowed Other News: See the best photos from this year’s total solar eclipse. (And congrats to Europeans who just experienced an eclipse without any of their leaders doing this.)

+ Sea What I Did There: There are some great shots in this collection of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 Finalists. (Related: Why Can’t You Find Canned Sardines Right Now?)

6

Bottom of the News

How do you know there’s been an eclipse viewable from parts of the world? Searches for the phrase eye injury go up.

+ “Bravo to Whittingham for eschewing the performative nonsense many coaches engage in and approaching his job like a fully grown adult. And, brother, best of luck to him.” Let’s get warmed up for college football season: Michigan fans are mad that their coach doesn’t hate Ohio State enough.

+ Scheduling Note: NextDraft will be off tomorrow. Have a good weekend.

Juke Box Zero

Dave Pell — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:29:41 GMT

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. That joke doesn’t hold up as well in the age of AI, when you might be able to become a successful musician (or at least music maker) simply by becoming practiced in the art of typing directives. And then, you can tell everybody that this is your song. You didn’t need to put the words and the melodies together, you just share a few vibes and let the software write the songs that make the whole world sing. Think you can be a juke box hero? Have goals related to becoming a shooting star? See yourself joining Guitar George and being a sultan of swing? So you wanna be a rock and roll star, then listen now to what I say: ~~Get an electric guitar, take some time and learn how to play~~ Just download an app. The leader of the band is Suno, “a generative artificial intelligence startup in Cambridge that lets people be rock stars without ever picking up an instrument. Users type a few words into the app—’I want a walk-up song for my Little League at bats,’ say—and Suno will spit out a complete tune...Paying users can train Suno on their voices, so their creations can even sound like they’re singing them.” The company’s founder argues that “Suno will do for music what Instagram did for photography. Not everyone can be Ansel Adams, but anyone can post a selfie. Not everyone can be Olivia Rodrigo, but now anyone can crank out a ballad.” Bloomberg(Gift Article): AI Music Startup Suno Bets Anyone Can Be a Rock Star. Of course, your rock stardom is based entirely on the prior work of other artists. “Suno argues that its technology is designed to create new songs, not rip off existing ones, and it’s acknowledged training its models on copyrighted material. Whether that’s legal is an open question.” It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll. You can get to the slop a lot faster.

+ As you might imagine, many music publishers are reacting to the realization that, “They’re playing our tune” with lawsuits. But others are ready to turn the page. Variety: AI Music Generator Suno Strikes Licensing Deal With BMG as It Preps New Label-Backed Models. You might prefer that old time rock and roll, but everybody’s talking ‘bout the new kid in town.

2

Unclaimed Wages

“Since the Pentagon started blowing up boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean last September, accusing them of being used for drug trafficking, dozens of vessels have been attacked, killing at least 221 people. Washington has not been shy about claiming the strikes, often publishing footage on social media of tiny fishing boats cutting through the water before being obliterated by American munitions.” But they’re not claiming the attacks on Ecuadorian fishermen in the Pacific Ocean. And, to the extent we can believe that, it might make the situation even scarier. NYT (Gift Article): They Spoke English, Wore U.S. Flags and Attacked Fishermen. Who Were They? “’It would be one thing if the U.S. didn’t have an overt maritime strike campaign, but they do, and they’re posting snuff films of boats going up in flames regularly. And that’s what makes this even more squirrelly,’ said Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer who specializes in the laws of war. He worked in the Obama and Biden administrations, as well as in the first Trump one. ‘Who are these people that are operating, and under what authority?’ Mr. Finucane asked. ‘And they are using a UPS store as their company address? Come on.’”

3

We Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

“Resuming a limited bombing campaign didn’t get it done. Neither did making apocalyptic threats to wipe out Iran’s entire civilization. Every time Trump touts a possible breakthrough in negotiations, the hard-liners in Tehran seem to delight in changing their terms and yanking away a possible deal. It’s like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, except this time, the pigskin is the Strait of Hormuz. Nothing has worked. So Trump’s new strategy is to try doing nothing, and see whether that works.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump’s New Strategy of Nothing. “But this new tack will require the president to show patience. Trump is, to say the least, not known for his self-discipline.”

+ The president isn’t the only one required to show patience, and for many in the military, that patience is wearing thin. “Two leading specialist military papers, the Navy Times and the Stars and Stripes, are reporting that there have been multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard as poor conditions and mental stresses on the Lincoln reach breaking point. The crew is in its ninth month at sea, and has spent 250 days consecutively without making land – a record for an aircraft carrier in modern times.” USS Abraham Lincoln sailors tried to jump overboard amid extended deployment. More from Stars and Stripes.

+ And oil companies aren’t wasting any time adjusting to the new abnormal. That means going around the strait. Gulf Oil Giants Are Spending Billions to Build Ways Around Strait of Hormuz.

4

And Presto, No Testo

“The Trump administration seems to harbor a hulking obsession with testosterone. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once claimed that the president’s testosterone levels are unusually high for a man of his age, and Kennedy is known to take a supplementary dose of the male sex hormone himself. In April, the FDA moved to expand access to testosterone-replacement therapy for greater numbers of men. And last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that ‘warfighters’ older than 30 will have their testosterone levels checked annually so that they can stay on the ‘leading edge of lethality.’ The need for expansive testing or for testosterone replacement is questionable, according to several medical experts I spoke with. But underneath the administration’s preoccupation lies a real trend.” Olga Khazan in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Where Has All the Testosterone Gone? (I don’t want to give away the answer, but let’s put it this way. No, I’m not just happy to see you...)

5

Extra, Extra

We Can’t Cater to Everyone’s Needs: “The government has on rare occasions engaged in sleight of hand to safeguard presidents from possible jeopardy, particularly for journeys to hazardous locations, such as when George W. Bush or Barack Obama flew to Iraq during days of war or when Bill Clinton made a brief visit to Pakistan with its history of terrorism. The Trump team’s ruse in Ankara, however, stands out not only for its misdirection but also for the way it shifted the evident peril to others.” What’s the one thing worse than being invited for a ride inside a catering container with Donald Trump? Not being invited. NYT (Gift Article): With Trump Secretly Evacuated, Imperiled Air Force One Became a Flying Decoy.

+ Primary Education: “Democrats remain mixed over what ideological direction the party should take. But across a series of closely watched primaries, they are sending a clearer message about the party’s path forward: They want change.” (That, and maybe some Xanax.) Here are four takeaways from the primaries from NPR and Semafor. And the most predictable headline from this week’s primaries: Mike Lindell refuses to concede in Minnesota primary despite getting far fewer votes.

+ Fits Like a Glove: “Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks intended to gain compliance from combative individuals.” (It’s not exactly like they’ve been using kid gloves so far...)

+ Freedom Fries: France Bans Unsolicited Telemarketing Calls. (It’s only a matter of time before some candidate sends me an unsolicited text about this news.)

+ Cut! David Ellison “says he’s considering moving his studio out of California. Not long ago, he was talking a big game about how a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery would boost the state.” Paramount Has Spent 100 Years in Hollywood. David Ellison Loved That. Until He Didn’t. (People who work for the company? They’re just extras.)

+ Movers and Lakers: “Only 14 months after agreeing to purchase the Lakers at a record-setting $10 billion valuation, Mark Walter is selling the team to Bob Iger, the former Disney CEO, and Joshua Kushner. The deal would value the Lakers at $12.5 billion.”

+ You’re the Special Sauce: “’McDonald’s secret sauce is really commercial surveillance,’ says Jeff Chester, executive director at the Center for Digital Democracy, a group that advocates for consumer protections. Privacy experts I spoke with said this level of detail may feel invasive, but it’s fairly standard for how large companies in the US run their loyalty programs.” Reece Rogers: McDonald’s Built a 515-Page Dossier on Me. It Says I’ll Never Stop Eating There. (Mine has one line about me dipping fries into my milkshake, and the rest was redacted.)

6

Bottom of the News

“Runners have 6.5 hours to complete the race, a cutoff time comparable to some of the major marathons. Besides wine, the course is marked with tables of cheese, croissants, oysters, steak and ice cream. Oh, and every runner wears a costume. This year is ’80s-themed.” Wine, Cheese and 26.2 Miles: What Could Go Wrong?

+ High school football player in Arkansas practices with a venomous snake in his helmet. (Man, I thought my high school football coaches had hard summer sessions...)

The Atomic Wedgie

Dave Pell — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:23:29 GMT

It’s hard to believe that back in the early days of the internet, we were pretty sure that social media would be a unifying force that brought people together. It didn’t take long to realize that social media would instead divide us into rage-fueled silos of misinformed homogeneity. We’ve seen the divide when it comes to political parties and cultural issues, but thanks to the nature of social media, the nature of our political landscape, and maybe our own human nature, the all-inclusive, never-ending flashmob jamboree we thought we were building is gradually dividing us into smaller and smaller groups, online and off. “Some social scientists and cultural observers are increasingly considering [this] more extreme concept: atomization, or the scattering of people — not into two opposing factions but into countless smaller tribes. Like groups of atoms, those subsets can form — and dissolve — at quicksilver pace, leaving people in ever-tinier bubbles, devoid of connection with one another and the larger social fabric. Even subgroups have subgroups, dividing amoeba-like into combative factions, creating a nation of us vs. them and them and them.” NYT (Gift Article): America Is Atomizing. Don’t agree? That’s not a problem. Hardly anyone agrees with anyone on anything, so feel free to do your own research until you find your niche. “An atomized society provides community inside subcultures. Popular influencers, some with audiences far greater than those of traditional media outlets, have given voice to previously fringe interests, creating camaraderie for anyone who thought they were the only cat-loving gun owner. The palindrome enthusiast. A ‘hot’ girl with I.B.S. A knitting Swiftie. The constituencies start to sound like Mad Libs.” And if the socials shrank our groups, spending all day talking to a sycophantic AI agent will only accelerate the trend. My tribe is me, myself, and AI. What we thought would be one big party is morphing into a party of one.

2

Crazy AF

In what’s becoming a trend, a story that already seemed weird is turning out to be much weirder. We knew that Trump recently had to abandon his Qatar-gifted jet for the much safer old-school Air Force One during an international trip. But it turns out, even AF1 wasn’t considered safe enough, and we somehow find ourselves at the intersection of catering and dictatoring. Trump Said to Have Secretly Used Military Jet to Leave Turkey Amid Threats. “Instead of flying out aboard that older, powder blue, modified 747, Mr. Trump was whisked off that plane via a catering container that had been lifted to the opposite side of the plane from where the journalists traveling with him boarded, one of the U.S. officials said. The president was then taken to a third plane, which he flew in secret to Britain, the official with knowledge of the matter said. Reporters on the older plane were not told that Mr. Trump had not flown with them from Turkey to an air base in Britain, making them unwitting participants in the ruse and leaving them, along with some White House staff members, to serve as unknowing decoys.” (Unless that catering container was being used for Cheetos, I’m guessing there was a lot of cleanup required.)

3

Operation Warp Reality

“Speaking in the Oval Office before signing the executive order, Mr. Trump said he was motivated in part by concerns over whether vaccines were tied to autism, even though dozens of studies have found no link between the two.” Trump Signs Executive Order Calling for Fewer Childhood Vaccines. “It is unclear whether the order has any legal power. Vaccine recommendations in the United States are made by a committee of experts who advise the C.D.C., and are then adopted by the agency’s director. But only states can require vaccinations for children to enter school or day care.” (So it may not be legal, but it should provide enough misinformation to bring back some infectious diseases, because Trump now believes his own misinformation.)

+ At this point, it’s incredible how normal our news coverage makes absolute insanity seem. Here’s a headline from TNR that puts things more clearly. Trump Nods Off After Claiming Kids Get ‘Soda Bottle’ Worth of Vaccines.

+ WHO defends immunization schedules after Trump orders fewer childhood shots. “What comes out from WHO is science-based.” (Science? We’re not still clinging to mumpsimus nonsense like science, are we?)

4

That’s So Lit

Obama’s meteoric rise up the career ladder continues. Community organizer. Senator. President. And now... podcaster. “Former President Barack Obama has long shared what he is reading with the public. Now, he plans to delve into a collection of books that have influenced him in a new podcast that will debut in September.” Barack Obama to Host Podcast Exploring Influential Books. (I could definitely see Trump doing something lit-focused like this once at some point...)

5

Extra, Extra

The New Abnormal: “The conundrum highlights how the war has unleashed a more antagonistic Iran and left a region that is vital to the world’s energy security with no good option for countering it.” WSJ (Gift Article): Gulf States Accept a New Normal in Hormuz: Iran Is in Control.

+ Slurred Speech: “In several instances documented in court filings, federal agents referred to targets as ‘tonks’ — a derogatory term typically used to refer to Mexican immigrants and intended to echo the sound of agents’ flashlights striking their heads.” NYT(Gift Article): New Evidence Shows Agents Using Slurs, Bolstering Profiling Claims. (Ya think?)

+ The Clime Climb: Congratulations, everyone. The US just sweltered through the warmest month ever recorded. I’m guessing you’re not fooled by the politicians who downplay climate change. I’m sure business owners aren’t. NYT (Gift Article): Heat, Fire, Smoke and Storms Are Wreaking Havoc on the Economy.

+ Assad Excuse for a Human Being: “A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted President Bashar Assad and his brother in absentia for murder, torture and crimes against humanity committed before and during the country’s 14-year civil war that left about half a million people dead.” Former Syrian President Assad sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes. (Let’s hope he feels homesick soon.)

+ Abuse and Power: “Miller is accused of beating and burning his ex-wife Emily Moreno, fracturing his young daughter’s collarbone, holding her beloved stuffed bunny hostage, and sharing an inappropriate photo of her, among other numerous allegations.” Trump Shut Down Efforts to Get Alleged Abuser to Drop Out of Midterms.

+ Pocket Pool: “White House officials have asked the Justice Department to consider a new prosecution of a man accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to people familiar with the discussions, as President Trump fumes over U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop the case.” WSJ (Gift Article): White House Asks Justice Department to Consider New Reflecting-Pool Prosecution. (I don’t know, maybe spend less time on false prosecutions against imaginary criminals and more time figuring out how to deal with Iran or defending our allies?) As we discussed last week, in a lot of ways, the Reflecting Pool story is a reflection of everything Trump: Dirty Pool.

6

Bottom of the News

“Personal service providers to college students have exploded in the past decade. Laundry, dorm cleaning, moving and meal prep companies target elite schools, where wealthy families will fork over thousands to save their child a few extra hours each week.” The college experience now includes laundry and maid service. Back in my day, we drove home to get our laundry done. Whatever happened to that kind of independence?

Flock Around and Find Out

Dave Pell — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:12:01 GMT

The black vans parked right in front of the school were a dead giveaway. You always knew when it was the one day of the week that metal detectors were being deployed at the Brooklyn high school where I taught in the 90s. If you were planning to bring a weapon into the school, the workaround was pretty simple: Just wait a few hours until the vans left. Everyone associated with the school knew that the metal detector program was ineffective. Everyone in the school knew that the metal detector program created a negative stigma and had racist under(and over)-tones. As a white teacher, I was free to bypass the metal detectors on my first day at the school, while the students (all of whom were Black or brown) always had to go through the detection process. Yet, when I returned to that high school to question students and parents for my Ed School thesis on urban school violence and the use of metal detectors, my survey showed that a huge majority of students and parents wanted the metal detection program to remain in place. People concerned about being the victim of a crime (along with those who have already had the misfortune of that experience) will generally choose flawed protection over no protection.

That’s one of the aspects that makes the public backlash against the Flock license plate readers that blanket many American cities so interesting. Yes, they add an unappealing layer of surveillance to our society at a moment when many of us trust government less than ever. But those kinds of tradeoffs are generally accepted by people concerned about having their cars stolen or suffering some other criminal act. Is Flock an exception? And if so, how bad did they have to be to become one? NYT (Gift Article): Flock Cameras Can Track Every Car in America. Police Love Them. Citizens Don’t. “A Texas officer used Flock’s cameras to track a woman across state lines who was suspected of self-administering an abortion. Officers across the country have abused their access to Flock’s cameras, including to track romantic partners, resulting in discipline and termination. Los Angeles and Dayton, Ohio, among other cities, recently suspended their contracts with Flock to prevent immigration authorities from accessing data from the cameras. Dayton resorted to covering the cameras with trash bags. In cities like Houston, Oakland, Calif., and Grand Junction, Colo., residents have taken matters into their own hands, with police reports and surveillance footage documenting Flock cameras being cut down, splattered with paint and even shot.” Will the backlash hold? I recently attended a meeting about the use of Flock in my (very liberal) town. People spent about two percent of the time talking about how bad Flock’s transgressions are, and the rest of the meeting describing the car thefts and other crimes that have happened on their blocks.

+ I have a feeling we’ll see an increase in personal technologies that enable you to avoid being detected by cameras, whether they’re hanging from telephone poles or being worn as glasses by someone in your office. TechCrunch: This ‘adversarial’ pattern can prevent surveillance cameras from detecting you. (I always thought ‘adversarial’ patterns were those that accentuated my love handles.)

+ No one has covered the Flock story in more detail than 404 Media. Here are all their recent stories on the topic.

2

Strait, Strait, Don’t Tell Me

“Lifting of the U.S. naval blockade and sanctions on Iran, the withdrawal of American forces from around the country, the payment of war reparations, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and the end of attacks on Iran’s allies in the region.” Those are some of the demands being made by Iran in exchange for opening the Strait of Hormuz (which was open before the war started). Iran Insists Strait Will Stay Closed Until U.S. Agrees to Demands. Somehow declaring victory, announcing that a deal is in place, issuing empty threats on social media, and even the liberal use of all-caps haven’t done the trick.

+ “For weeks, President Trump had been laying the groundwork to declare victory in the Iran war should Tehran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even floating the idea privately to senior aides that he’s willing to walk away without a nuclear deal.” Now, even that horrendous outcome appears to be in doubt. WSJ (Gift Article): Trump Thought Opening the Strait of Hormuz Was Imminent. Iran Had Other Plans.

+ The deal/victory announcements about Iran weren’t the only premature declarations. Netanyahu Rejects Trump’s Plan for Disarming Hamas.

3

European into the Wind

“American travel has transformed in recent decades. A nation of former homebodies has become one of zealous and moneyed international travelers, infiltrating every cobblestoned corner of Europe and rapidly filling lesser-known destinations. Americans took a record 24 million trips to Europe in 2025. Portugal received nearly five times the number of U.S. visitors last year as it did a decade earlier. Greece took in four times as many.” WSJ(Gift Article): The Rise of the Unstoppable American Tourist.

+ This summer, they’ve been unstoppable, and uncoolable. UK and France prepare for another heat wave as Western Europe sets new temperature record.

4

Chip Off the Old Block

“There may be no more tangible an indicator of when Americans are and are not having a good time than Reddy Ice’s sales figures.” But the ice business is about more than backyard parties. It’s involved in everything from keeping hospitals running to enabling concrete to set properly in warm weather. Texas Monthly with a very interesting look at life on the rocks. Inside the Billion-Dollar Industry That’s Keeping Your Beer Cold—and Saving Lives.

5

Extra, Extra

Columbia Quake: “Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella — who just took office on Friday — convened an emergency committee to address the damage. The Colombian government has declared a state of national disaster, and rescue soldiers are being deployed to affected areas of the country.” At least 111 are dead following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Colombia. Here’s the latest from CNN and The Guardian.

+ In the Red: “During the World Cup soccer final in New Jersey last month, Zach Witkoff, co-founder of President Trump’s cryptocurrency company, took in the action from a luxury suite. Joining him was a man who had made the president, and all the company’s co-founders, much richer. Two years earlier, the man, Guren ‘Bobby’ Zhou, was a failed hardwood flooring retailer in Britain who had come under investigation there for money laundering and presided over the collapse of a small crypto start-up. Then seemingly out of nowhere, he became one of the biggest buyers of tokens from Mr. Trump’s company, World Liberty Financial.” NYT (Gift Article): Trump Crypto Took $100 Million From a Businessman With Red Flags. (Headline also works this way: Businessman Invests $100 Million via Middlemen with Red Flags into a President with Red Flags in an Industry with Red Flags.)

+ Veggie Fails: We interrupt the constant flow of diarrhea stories to bring you the following. Taylor Farms issued a recall for over a dozen items, including salsa and guacamole, over Salmonella risks.

+ Truth or Glare: “DarkSky International, Environment America, the American Bird Conservancy and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility called on the FCC to overturn a decision last month authorizing Reflect Orbital to launch its Earendil-1 demonstration satellite, which will carry a 59-foot-wide mirror to reflect sunlight onto a specific spot on the planet during periods of darkness.” Environmental groups challenge FCC approval of startup’s plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space. (The last thing this administration is going to rule against is a mirror.)

+ You Are the Product: “It’s really just leveraging this incredible AI and software that Palantir has to allow us to move so much faster and to be so much smarter with the data we have today. And…take a lot of the anonymous interactions we have today and turn those into known relationships…The more known relationships we have, the more data we create, the more signals we create, the more actionable intelligence we have.” America’s largest newspaper chain, USA Today Co., partners with Palantir to analyze audience data as search traffic falls.

+ Cohnheads: “Ignore the rules, do what you want to do, don’t leave a paper trail, don’t keep a calendar, never do things in writing, and, if somebody gets onto you, rat out other people to save yourself. Delay, delay, delay, ’cause grand juries have a limited time, and you can run out the clock. And call in the news media. Make up a fantastic story ... And that’ll be the news story. It’ll put the government on the defensive.” Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark in The New Yorker: How Roy Cohn taught Donald Trump Everything.

+ Execution Style: “One of Ferney’s working mottos is, ‘Our job is to execute, not judge.’ Given that she and her business partner are routinely tasked with fulfilling the whims of those who think nothing of laying out $2.25 million for a weeklong yacht rental on the Côte d’Azur (as recently happened), this makes a kind of cockeyed sense.” She Makes the Impossible Happen for Her Ultrarich Clients.

6

Bottom of the News

“A flight from British Columbia to Toronto was canceled on Thursday after a child would not sit down and buckle a seatbelt before takeoff, the airline said.” Flight Is Canceled After a Child Refuses to Be Seated. (Bookmark this one, folks. This kid will be president someday...)

+ “It was initially feared the abandoned luggage, which was found by members of the public on Sunday afternoon at Oallen, about 60 kilometres south-east of Goulburn, contained a woman’s remains.” It turned out to be a sex doll. (A reader sent this is from Australia because it seemed like a story I’d like. There’s nothing quite like having someone on the other side of the world see a story about a dead sex doll and say, “Hey, this made me think of you...”)