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Links 7/1/2025

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‘I was shocked’: Melbourne man’s ‘unbelievable’ find after buying house SBS (Paul R)

How Japan escaped Obesity while America got Fat YouTube (Micael T)

Stem cells from extracted wisdom teeth are like “medical gold,” able to treat multiple diseases Earth.com (Paul R)

UK Scientists Plan to Construct Synthetic Human Genetic Material From Scratch Guardian

#COVID-19/Pandemics

Climate/Environment

Earth is Trapping Much More Heat Than Climate Models Forecast The Conversation

Arctic Sea Ice reaches a Historic Low for late June, with Winter Impacts expected if the Weather Pattern persists Severe Weather

Mediterranean Sea poised to break all-time heat records Fox Weather

Atlantic cold spot shows AMOC has ‘been slowing for a century Oceanographic Magazine

The bold plan to save a vital ocean current with giant parachutes New Scientist

Tajikistan and Central Asia Face Escalating Water Crisis Times of Central Asia

Google’s emissions up 51% as AI electricity demand derails efforts to go green Guardian

China?

Exclusive: Trump Orders Military to “Deter” China Ken Klippenstein

Video teases new Chinese blackout bomb that can knock out enemy power stations South China Morning Post

India-Pakistan

India rejects ‘illegal’ Indus arbitration, suspends treaty over terror links New Indian Express

Suicide attack kills 16 soldiers in northwest Pakistan Daily Sabah

The Koreas

Red flag on nuclear wastewater Korea Times. North accused of dumping.

Thailand

Could Cambodia hit the Thai capital with its made-in-China weapons? South China Morning Post.

Thai court suspends PM Paetongtarn from duty pending case seeking her dismissal Channel News Asia

South of the Border

Argentina must turn over 51% stake in YPF, US judge rules Buenos Aires Times (Kevin W)

Colombia’s former foreign minister sought US support for coup plot: audio and witnesses Colombia News. This news, first reported by El País, comes just two and a half weeks after Nick warned of a possible soft coup being planned in Colombia: Is A Soft Coup Brewing in Colombia, the US’ Long-Time “Israel of Latin America”

Africa

DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal met with scepticism in rebel-held city BBC

Togo groups say recent protests left 7 dead France24

Starving Sudanese people eating weeds to survive amid brutal war Independent

European Disunion

Europe needs a Metternich Unherd

Old Blighty

Britain is racing towards a fresh cost-of-living crisis Spectator

Britain in 2025: sick man of Europe battling untreated illness crisis Guardian (Kevin W). Important and troubling.

Chris Marsden: New head of Britain’s MI6 is granddaughter of Ukrainian Nazi mass murderer Olivier Boyd-Barrett

Israel v. Iran

Iran’s nuclear enrichment ‘will never stop’, nation’s UN ambassador says Guardian

Iran demands security guarantee before resuming nuclear talks with US Anadolu Agency. IMHO, Iran has independently decided to take the same path as Russia in negotiations with the US: play it straight and let it become evident that the other side is the impossible one. They already knew there was no overlap in bargaining positions before the scheduled meeting that wound up being cancelled due to the June 13 attacks.

* * *

Israel Called Its Initial Attack on Iran ‘Red Wedding,’ Referring to a Fictional Massacre that Relied on Deception Antiwar.com (Kevin W). OMG….the House of Frey, which perpetrated the Red Wedding slaughter, was later wiped out by Arya Stark. Do they realize what they are invoking?

Since it was the Israelis themselves that made this comparison, please bear with me in running this sequence, which appeared initially in two different Game of Throne episodes. For those who don’t know the series, it was the Freys who slaughtered the scion of House Stark as well as other Starks in the Red Wedding. Arya Stark was busy at the time, training to be an assassin, and you can see her skills here:

NYT – Guessing About Iran With ‘Experts’ Who Lack Knowledge Of It Moon of Alabama (Kevin W)

Palantir’s Shadow War On Iran Kit Klarenberg

Israel v. the Rest of the Resistance

Divided over Gaza: the Israeli soldiers who fight on and those who refuse The Times

Lebanon pressured to approve Hezbollah disarmament in cabinet, sources in Beirut claim The National

New Not-So-Cold War

Russian Forces Close in on Capital of Ukraine’s Sumy Region: Elite Units Redeployed to Stem Advances Military Watch

The Outcome Of Armenia’s Latest Round Of Unrest Will Be Pivotal For The Region’s Future Andrew Korybko

RUSSIA SAVES FACE — THE BOTOX REVOLUTION John Helmer. IM Doc says Botox produces very good results…until it doesn’t. But patients keep using it, and if they don’t stop, it leads to very bad outcomes.

Syraqistan

Trump signs an executive order ending US sanctions on Syria Arab News

Syria’s wheat war: drought fuels food crisis for 16 million Al-Monitor

Imperial Collapse Watch

Trump 2.0

The Senate megabill is on a collision course with House fiscal hawks Politico

Who wins, who loses if Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ passes? Aljazeera (resilc)

Harvard Violated Students’ Civil Rights, Trump Administration Finds Wall Street Journal

Trump attacks Fed again in open letter calling for lower rates Axios. Kevin W: “Check out image.”

Trump says Musk would ‘head back to South Africa’ without US subsidies for EVs Anadolu Agency

Tariffs

Trump’s tariff war and aid cuts threaten poorest nations’ recovery Financial Times. As we’ve reminded readers, Jomo warned of crisis risk in developing economies for more than a year before the Trump tariffs.

European ports ‘overflowing’ as Trump tariffs cause congestion Financial Times

The Supremes

A New Kind of Judicial Supremacy Steve Vladek

GOP Clown Car

Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations ProPublica

Democrat Death Wish

The Elephant in the Room Policy Tensor. albrt:

This is a fascinatingly direct and cogent analysis, except that in Part III the word “Democrats” needs to be replaced with “whatever organization succeeds the Democrats” because the WHOLE point of the current Democratic party is to disintermediate from the working class to enable more siphoning of big donor money to pay for little Madison’s violin lessons.

Three Messages Democrats Should Bring to Rural America Jess Piper (Chuck L)

Our No Longer Free Press

The Art Of The Gaslight Mark Wauck

Mr. Market is Moody

Economic fragmentation raises risk of global financial panic, BIS warns The Times. If you read this recap carefully (and I have been remiss due to competing duties and have not yet read the underlying BIS report) the big systemic risk issue is not government debt levels per se but the astonishingly stoopid hedgie basis trade (tantamount to picking up pennies before a steamroller) going pear shaped as it did when Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs. Recall that tons of quant-y global macro funds died during the crisis, a testament to Taleb’s big point that tails are fat and even tweaked models can’t adequately allow for that (there are so few data points in the tail that it’s not possible to estimate tail risk with any precision; if you get it right, it was dumb luck). However, as more and more investors get nervous about government debt (whether on an informed or naive basis, or as with Liberation Day, in reaction to new events), it can (likely will) again force rapid unwinds of the basis trade, which can in turn trigger more disruption.

This may seem as if the BIS is driving with a rear view mirror. However, the BIS was way way ahead of other central banks and nearly all economists in warning of the destabilizing potential of housing bubbles in quite a few major economies starting ~2003. In addition, recall there were four acute phases of the global financial crisis, starting in June 2007. The same underlying dynamic got worse and worse as authorities kept applying mere band-aids. And there is also tons of official resistance to hearing BIS warnings.

AI

Make Fun Of Them Ed Zitron. Epic. Delicious. A must read.

Has an AI Backlash Begun? Wired. One can only hope.

Ex-Meta engineers have built an AI tool to plan every detail of your trip TechCrunch. Kevin W: “Hallucinated flights and flight connections anyone?”

CEOs Are Quietly Telling Us the Truth: AI Is Replacing You Gizmodo (Dr. Kevin)

The Bezzle

That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose Atlantic

Driver fury as Hertz’s new Orwellian scanners trigger instant $400 fines for barely visible scuffs Daily Mail (resilc)

Guillotine Watch

Lauren Sánchez Bezos Commits to the Corset New York Times. Billionaires (and Lauren Sanchez Bezos now is one unless Jeff imposed a super stingy prenup on her) falling in line with Trump’s love of the 18th century. Admittedly, some actresses and performers like Cher have been rumored to have ribs removed to make their waists smaller. But Cher in particular had some costumes that looked like corsets.

PG&E is hiring an executive bodyguard. Combat shooting experience required CalMatters. Paul R: “Makes sense. They are an electrical and gas utility. They don’t do water and they don’t want any damn plumbers coming after them.”

Class Warfare

https://news.antiwar.com/2025/06/30/israel-called-its-initial-attack-on-iran-red-wedding-referring-to-a-fictional-massacre-that-relied-on-deception/

Costco Membership. Paul R: “Costco enshittifies. You now need the more expensive membership to get in at 9am. Plebs have to wait 1/2 hour or 1 hour depending”. Moi: I recall that they let old people in early during Covid.

Antidote du jour (via):

And a bonus (Chuck L). Oopsie!

A second bonus:

And a third (Chuck L):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

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140 comments

  1. The Rev Kev

    ‘Nature is Amazing ☘️
    @AMAZlNGNATURE
    Humpback Whale breaches and lands on fishing boat 😱’

    They needed a bigger boat.

    Reply ↓
    2. Eric Anderson

      I almost had that happen while commercial fishing in SE Alaska. An absolute giant humpback breached parallel to the Seiner not more than 10 yards off starboard as we left the Kupreanof Strait to head into Frederick Sound.

      I was on the deck at the time. Rolled the boat to about a 30º angle and if I hadn’t fallen down I’d have gone overboard. Soaked me through. But the most impressive thing was the sound it made. The !!POP!! sound when that much beast hits a perfectly flat belly flop on the water is like a gunshot going off next to your head.

      That experience will always be seared in technicolor on my brain.

      Reply ↓
  2. Wukchumni

    Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations ProPublica
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I’ve got you in on the skim
    I’ve got you, deep in the heart of me
    So deep in my heart that you’re really a part of me
    I’ve got you in on the skim

    I’d tried so, not to give in
    I said to myself this political donation affair never will go so well
    But why should I try to resist when baby I know so well
    I’ve got you in on the skim

    I’d sacrifice anything come what might
    For the sake of having you near
    In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night
    And repeats, repeats in my ear

    Don’t you know, little fool
    You never can win
    Use your mentality
    Wake up to reality
    But each time that I do just the thought of you
    Makes me stop before I begin
    ‘Cause I’ve got you in on the skim

    I would sacrifice anything come what might
    For the sake of having you near
    In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night
    And repeats how it yells in my ear

    Don’t you know, little fool
    You never can win
    Why not use your mentality
    Step up, wake up to reality
    But each time I do just the thought of you
    Makes me stop just before I begin
    ‘Cause I’ve got you in on the skim
    Yes, I’ve got you in on the skim

    I’ve Got You Under my Skin, performed by Frank Sinatra

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1AHec7sfZ8

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      My salutations good sir. She obviously needed that $80,000 to pay for that gold Rolex of hers. /sarc

      Reply ↓
      1. Wukchumni

        We need a good slang word. I propose anybody wearing a spendy watch get hit with this or a variation of:

        Did you see Kristi, that bee-yacht’ch ‘Got Clocked’ flashing her Daytona in El Salvador as a courtesy to American exports perhaps wanting to know the time of day.

        No wonder a perp made off with her purse not long after…

        Situational awareness is not her long suit

        Reply ↓
          1. nycTerrierist

            I’ll never forget this horrible anecdote from when she was promoting her ‘memoir’:
            she shot her own young dog (instead of training it), and said this was a ‘brave choice’

            When she gloated about this in interviews, not one ‘journalist’ challenged her

            Reply ↓
            1. The Rev Kev

              ‘By their actions ye shall judge them.’

              Doubly so for those journalists-slash-stenographers.

              Reply ↓
            2. Wukchumni

              If you work for the man and speak truth to power, little Anthony Fremont all grown up now will whisk you into the scorned field, you’ll never work in journalism again! {rubs hands together-victory via vendetta}

              Reply ↓
    2. ChrisFromGA

      Embezzlement Barbie – accessories include stylish orange jumpsuit, tennis shoes (shoelaces not included.)

      Reply ↓
        1. ambrit

          Sorry. She’s the sort of “Klaus” that comes down the chimney and takes away all the presents under the tree.

          Reply ↓
      2. ambrit

        The “Butcher of Lyin’?”
        We need better sycophants. Today’s crop just isn’t all that competent.

        Reply ↓
  3. IM Doc

    With regard to the AI Make fun of them article……

    As a teacher, I can tell in seconds in writing and within a bit longer in oral presentation if the student is pasting or quoting AI. The AI grammar and syntax are that obvious. However, it is getting better and better all the time. It is getting harder to tell until you start questioning the presenter. They often melt like butter on a hot sidewalk. It is increasingly concerning to compare academic output of write ups or presentation with the actual knowledge of the student.

    And it goes back to the make fun aspect. I am really looking for a very derisive insulting term to nail these students with. I am just not in the mood to tolerate this kind of imbecile intellectual laziness from my students when lives will soon depend on them.

    BE A DOCTOR, NOT AN x……..Justine Bateman, the actress and director in Hollywood, has found herself immersed in AI plagiarism and inanity. She has recommended the use of “prompter” to belittle these people but I do not think it is harsh enough. BE A DOCTOR NOT A PROMPTER is likely not going to get their attention.

    Anyone out there have another idea? It is obvious from the article that Sam Altman has done a bit too much AI. The vapid dialog is a dead giveaway.

    I grieve for my kids.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Just tell ’em ‘Sorry, son. Make it till you fake it doesn’t work for being a doctor. If you can’t do your job, then move aside for somebody that can.’

      Reply ↓
    3. Terry Flynn

      With ya IM Doc. My distribution of attendee evaluation scores to our executive education courses was very bimodal. The top peak was way above my academic peers because I always had in mind 3 ways to explain the often very alien concepts underlying “how people are assumed to make choices” in our paradigm, initiated in math psych but also tested and found to be good for almost 100 years.

      I had a second mode at 1 star level. These were all the neoclassical economists. I got so fed up of one spoiling the course for people who individually or using a limited research budget, had shelled out thousands. Told her “you knew the paradigm we work in before signing up. If you don’t like it, might I suggest a course given in Chicago?” People laughed. She STFU. And then gave me 1 star. My bosses always threw away the 1 star reviews once they looked at the backgrounds of the people who awarded me that.

      Reply ↓
    6. ChrisFromGA

      How about “poseur?”

      Back in the day when I used to play guitar in bands, that was the ultimate insult. As in, “he’s not really able to play his instrument – he just puts on a lot of leather and has long hair to look like a musician.”

      That’s what crap-stain AI from Scam Altman is doing to people – turning them into poseurs with no skill, knowledge, or ability to think.

      Reply ↓
    7. earthling

      Sounds like oral exams are going to have to make a comeback. Huge time sink, but what other way to see what’s actually sunk into each one’s cranium?

      Meanwhile, if doctor training is still putting people through death-march excessive hours, no surprise if the students feel forced to cut corners and get whatever ‘help’ they can. So the overloaded schedules need to change, too.

      Reply ↓
    15. Eric Anderson

      … “not an Ancillary.”

      If any of you have read the recent fantastic sci-fi from Anne Lecke, you’ll get the reference. Only sci-fi writer to ever simultaneously win the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards:

      https://www.powells.com/book/ancillary-justice-imperial-radch-1-9780316246620?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21002205517&utm_content=_&utm_term=&utm_device=c&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20992217160&gbraid=0AAAAAD_gE3NSMOJUMsAjR6VhNOkMGKTbq&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi4nMtrycjgMVaxStBh3hYyCfEAQYASABEgJ3jvD_BwE

      “Ancillaries” in her universe are “corpse bots.” Captured humans whose identity is wiped, and then wired up in sequence to a central AI thus allowing distributed networked humans all “ancillary” to the main AI.

      Chilling stuff.

      Reply ↓
    18. Paleobotanist

      I just had a PhD student use CHATGPT to write her comprehensive exam and research proposal – clear cheating with made up references, etc. The grad chair isn’t letting me kick her out of the program. She refuses to read.

      Reply ↓
        1. Knot Me

          My wife is a high school teacher. She feels compelled to use a filter to see which students are using AI to write their papers. unsurprisingly, a very large percentage of her students have gone down this way. She does make them rewrite these papers with no blowback from the administration who have their hands full with other issues. It’s a horrid situation that you describe which will clearly have serious repercussions going forward.

          Reply ↓
      2. Acacia

        If ChatGPT wasn’t cited as the source, it’s plagiarism.

        Notify the administration that the student has violated university policy on plagiarism. Provide the proof. Start the disciplinary action.

        Tell the grad chair that s/he has a chance to get in front of this or else try to explain later the failure to do so.

        Any grad chair that waves through plagiarism should be sacked.

        Reply ↓
    19. flora

      Thanks.
      This from RFK Jr gives me the shivers. Can he be this naive?

      RFK Jr. Says AI Will Approve New Drugs at FDA ‘Very, Very Quickly’
      “We need to stop trusting the experts,” Kennedy told Tucker Carlson.

      https://gizmodo.com/rfk-jr-says-ai-will-approve-new-drugs-at-fda-very-very-quickly-2000622778

      As for a derisive and insulting term to use the word ‘cheater’ seems appropriate. Presenting someone or something elses work as their own. Too harsh?

      Reply ↓
  4. Henry Moon Pie

    Earth trapping more heat–

    So how hot will it have to get to shut up buffoons like Dore and Rogan?

    This is the latest game being played. They show the graph of Earth’s temperature going back 485 million years. At the scale that can be displayed on a web page, it appears that our planet’s temperature is plunging rapidly. This graph or a very similar one is what Rogan threw up in front of Bernie who didn’t know how to counter it.

    Back 485 million years ago, there were plenty of trilobites around, but it would be more than 200 million years before dinosaurs and mammals appeared. So while that very long range chart is interesting to evolutionary biologists and paleontologists, it does more to hide the truth about our situation than convey it.

    Let’s look at a chart that covers the last million years. There were no homo sapiens around at the beginning of that period, but homo erectus was. At this scale, it’s obvious how misleading that 485 million year chart was. The amount of temperature fluctuation has greatly decreased from nearly 25 degrees C in the 485 chart to 12 degrees C in the million year chart, and all the data clusters around a point not so far from present conditions.

    Finally, let’s look at the most relevant chart, the one that focuses in on the period when humanity began to build human civilization. The temperature chart for the Holocene goes back just 12,000 years, just before humans began to practice agriculture and build a civilization. The temperature fluctuation has shrunk to little more than 1 degree C after the end of the last Ice Age. Earth’s temperature going back to that 485 million year span has been like a guitar string that is plucked and its amplitude decreases until it’s at rest. It’s those very stable conditions that have allowed humans to become sedentary, farm, build towns and cities and develop technology.

    But we have been messing with the primary forces of Nature with our carbon spewing, tree cutting, desertifying habits. This is the chart for the industrial period. This exponential rise in temperature has brought us to the warmest Earth in 100,000 years, well outside that stable Holocene climate that gently gave birth to human civilization.

    So, no, the Earth is not cooling despite that misleading appearance of that 485 million year chart. And yes, as the article about heat in/heat out points out, the pace of this heating will be increasing substantially in the future.

    It’s too bad there’s no hell. Fools like Dore and Rogan might like it there.

    Reply ↓
    1. MicaT

      Well done.

      If it was only dore and Rogan, but they are just 2 of way too many in this country and others too.
      The number of podcasts and blogs, YouTube channels, Substack posts that continue to say solar and wind don’t work just contribute to that narrative and that’s just one aspect of many in the anti climate change movement

      The only positive takeaway I can use is that China is providing the way in renewables and clean tech for the world. The US never has. And while the US going backwards is going to hurt the planet, the rest of the world is going forwards with renewables.
      Last month, well May anyway China installed over 90 billion watts of new solar. To put that in perspective the US installed about 40 last year. China now has over a trillion watts of solar installed and working, the US is a fraction of that. They have 30 reactors under construction and more coming.
      Staggering, their fossil fuel use is dropping in real time and it’s projected they have actually reached peak FF. Some good news

      Reply ↓
      1. Jason Boxman

        I don’t think it much matters anymore, we’re past peak Denialism, which has been wildly successful and delayed any recognition of Climate for decades and decades.

        But we’ve had multiple liberal Democrat administrations and Congresses and despite “believing” in Climate, liberal Democrats, as good capitalists, do nothing relevant to the scale of the problem. Not even close. Not even the lowest hanging fruit, such as banning all plastic disposable stuff or instituting a 55 MPH max speed limit. Just minor inconveniences that only mildly irritate are verboten.

        Instead liberal Democrats push Magic Pony solutions, like electrification, while supporting our massive data center and crypto buildouts that do nothing but suck up gobs of power.

        Hell, liberal Democrats aren’t even pushing to transform our partially functional, mostly a lie recycling system to actually do what the claim has been it does for over thirty years: Widely recycle “consumer” waste, which is to say, disposable single use packaging dumped upon this Earth by the consumer goods companies as a negative externality.

        Ultimately, insurers pursuing their own self-interest, making tons of money for executives, are going to drag everyone kicking and screaming into the Climate scorched world that the capitalists have built. To say nothing of increasingly manifest disasters.

        The real threat is those who “believe” in Climate, and then sooth dutiful liberal Democrat voters to sleep with visions of electrification, transitions without Pain, and ridiculous non-solutions like banning gas stoves and taking personal responsibility for ones’ own carbon footprint.

        As we all burn alive, it’ll be the soothing voices of liberal Democrats whispering about Technology Magic Pony answers to save us all without any pain or inconvenience that we’ll be treated with.

        Reply ↓
        1. chris

          I think we are no where near peak denialism. That will come when we start to actually do something that limits economic options for citizens, but our elites and politicians ignore it. Think of it as French Laundry 2.0. There will come a time when Californians can’t buy something because of climate related restrictions and they discover their governor has stock piled it. That will be an interesting week. But only a week because it will be rushed off the feed as soon as possible.

          As for Dore and Rogan, meh. They’re in the same category as Thunberg. They don’t know much and nothing they say or do gives anyone any options to accept or deny what’s happening. It’s just barstool level “can you believe this?” which is all climate related stuff is allowed to be in the US. Globally it’s even more of a joke. Qhy should the US listen to Europe on climate issues when the US is constantly called to go to war on behalf of euro centric/hegemony interests, with military adventures being one of the most climate aggravating things we humans can do? Why should Asia listen to the west when the modern climate related issues stem from the West outsourcing all of their manufacturing to Asian countries? No one on the world stage who has any authority has any moral standing on this topic. No one less than a billionaire has any ability to do more than document what is happening. The regular people who listen to Rogan and Dore just want some funny stuff to listen to, from people who don’t talk down to them. I don’t blame Rogan and Dore for catering to their audience. I blame the people in charge who can’t put forward a single person to explain to a US citizen how a positive change in climate related policy can occur without making our own people suffer.

          Reply ↓
      2. Hickory

        China isn’t leading anywhere humanity needs to go. Solar and wind power aren’t going to help reduce climate impact. China’s efforts are all geared towards energy independence and low cost, not environmental sustainability. That’s just a fig leaf.

        An actually environmentally sane policy would reduce energy use dramatically, and China is showing no interest in that. Dramatically reduce use of industrial poisons like plastics, pfos, nuclear power, and so on. No, they’re massively producing toxins that are blanketing the planet as products containing them are thrown in the trash. Consumerism is alive in China just as much as in the US if not worse from everything I’ve seen.

        China’s industrial policy is superior to the US’s, and they offer a better deal to trade partners than the US. But they’re no example of wisdom when it comes to living sustainably.

        Reply ↓
        1. chris

          Wind and solar are parts of what could be policies going forward to reduce the impact of anthropogenic systems contributing to climate change. Remember solar energy and solar energy related concepts go far beyond solar panels or photovoltaic technology. It’s as simple as using the sun to dry your laundry. Or building residences to incorporate solar heat gain during the winter, like with mkdern Trombe wall designs. Or solar water heating to reduce the need to heat water and the power load that comes with that demand. And we could use all that to develop TABS, which is a real way to manage our built environment using much less energy but requires a lot of work to get there. Wind energy could easily augment a lot of this transition. There are many ways to do that but just using simple windmills to create energy for battery storage would be a start.

          The problem we have is we’ve been locked into a box called TINA when in reality we have lots of options. We just don’t have a way to use any of them without collapsing society or destroying the wealthy.

          Reply ↓
          1. Ben Joseph

            None of that offsets bitcoin and AI. We need social upheaval, not 99%ers performing symbolic personal sacrifice.

            Reply ↓
          2. Bsn

            Great comment. Reminds me of when I realized that a dam, is essentially a battery. It stores water energy and is released when needed. I think the Chinese are on the right track.

            Reply ↓
    2. Ignacio

      Probably Rogan bought his first car about 85 million years ago in late Mesozoic when global average temperatures surpassed 35 Celsius according to estimations in the graph you posted, but he can attest it was all fine and well, slept like a baby and dinosaurs tended to stay quiet with such heat.

      What can one say when such experienced guys tell you the truth?

      Reply ↓
  5. Wukchumni

    Exclusive: Trump Orders Military to “Deter” China Ken Klippenstein
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ‘I’m calling it the Moo Goo Gai Plan {signs sharpie signature with such a flourish that it resembles a 8.4 on the Richter Scale} in order to stir-fry things up. Most if not all of our navy is assisting Israel in some fashion, but if you look on the map, China isn’t that far take away.hmmmmm This is making me hungry, would somebody go to Panda Express and get me half fried rice and half chow mein with broccoli beef and kung pao chicken, and mark on the outside bag that it’s for Tulsi.’

    Reply ↓
    1. ilsm

      I wonder if Fiona Hill and Annie Appelbaum are advising the Fox news guy and the formerly retired air national guard F-16 pilot.

      If any of them can define deter?

      Reply ↓
  7. The Rev Kev

    ‘Thomas Keith
    @iwasnevrhere_
    Dozens of Israeli drones, worth hundreds of millions, vanished into Iranian airspace. A senior Israeli official told Yedioth Ahronoth they simply “disappeared.”
    Now, Israel’s own finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich has frozen military procurement. Ynet reports a total freeze on new purchases, including rocket launchers and replacement stockpiles. Citing a rift with the army and accusations of “wasting mobilisation days.” The $16.2 billion emergency request is blocked, war debts are piling, and the state can’t pay for the myths it’s losing.’

    Why should Israel put its hand into its own pocket when Uncle Sucker will give them all the military equipment that they need for free? The US State Department has already approved a $510 million emergency transfer of JDAM bomb guidance kits to Israel and during the Israel-Iran war guess which country was doing all the aerial refueling of all of Israel’s aircraft for free? And right now there is a stream of military equipment going to Israel from the US military and I doubt that they have to pay for any of it. And why not? Not only does Trump approve of it but it is bipartisan.

    Reply ↓
  8. lyman alpha blob

    RE: Driver fury as Hertz’s new Orwellian scanners trigger instant $400 fines for barely visible scuffs

    We recently brought back a rental car and they found a tiny ding in the windshield that was almost invisible, but they were going to charge us for it anyway since it hadn’t been noted as existing in the pre-rental inspection. I was annoyed at possibly being charged for something the rental company wasn’t likely to even bother replacing, but the attendant was nice enough to check the inspections of the vehicle prior to our rental, and did find the same minor ding listed on one of the earlier ones, so we were off the hook for any damages. That might work in situations like this – according to the article though part of the problem was the inability to speak with an actual human being.

    Reply ↓
    1. FlyoverBoy

      Was that Hertz? I ask because Hertz, once considered the quality brand in car rental, has been the principal offender in customer-service outrages for years. I’m guessing PE owns them these days.

      Reply ↓
      1. Bsn

        Perfect. I would demand a report from the scanner before I drove it away. The best part is engaging the sales rep as they try to produce the most recent report on that car. Lots of wasted time and perhaps eventually, Hertz will realize it aint worth the trouble.

        Reply ↓
    3. XXYY

      I was annoyed at possibly being charged for something the rental company wasn’t likely to even bother replacing

      U-Haul has been pretty notorious for this, charging for damage but never fixing the damn trucks. Obviously they just siphon off these repair charges into corporate dividends or something.

      Seems like you should be able to come back and view the repaired car before you pay for any ding repairs.

      Reply ↓
  9. ilsm

    Smotrich must be using the NY Times’ experts as advisors.

    Israel exists bc the US military is committed to its existence! If Hizbollah comes out and the IDF gets in trouble the US’ airpower will do what it did for Israel in 1973. In 1973 the IDF was “on the ropes”. Massive airlift of the US” most advanced guided (just “tested” in South Vietnam) air to ground munitions and other support turned the tide for the IDF.

    June 2025 was much the same only this time US forces engaged and intercepted drones and missiles for IDF.

    Of course, Smotrich can dictate to Sunni royals whose undemocratic position depends on the US.

    Smotrich has not put US in same category as the Emirs?

    Reply ↓
  10. ciroc

    >Trump says Musk would ‘head back to South Africa’ without US subsidies for EVs

    “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!” Trump added in his post, also taking aim at Musk’s lucrative SpaceX contracts with the US government.

    I agree, but I don’t believe any president has the authority to decide whether or not the U.S. should withdraw from the space program.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Maybe they can go back to asking the Russians to once more take US astronauts up into space. They didn’t charge that much. Don’t know if they will agree to doing so for members of the US Space Force though.

      Reply ↓
      1. tegnost

        I have an idea! Maybe we could bypass the greedy little weasel musk and his weasel partner in gov grifting bezos and make a public sort of corporation like thing but gov administered and we could call it something like, I don’t know, National Aeronautics and Space Administration? Sounds neat, right? and as a bonus it has a neat acronym and you know we all love acronyms
        NASA…we could save hundreds of billions of dollars if we doged those minions of cthulu. Another great idea i have is every time an amazon truck enters usps property there will be an fee of $100 per minute on said premises to offset the cost of bezos dumping his expensive package deliveries on the collective “we”.

        Reply ↓
        1. cfraenkel

          Great idea. Now if you can only figure out a way to create this new agency without a corporate board of 600+ know nothing grifters who stick their fingers into each yearly budget, you may have something.

          Reply ↓
  11. Colonel Smithers

    Thank you, Yves.

    Further to the link about the grandfather of the new head of MI6 and exchanges with Revenant, who has spook connections, may I repeat what I e-mailed you on Saturday evening:

    Disquiet has emerged in Whitehall about the influence of Israel and its proxies over the selection of Blaise Metreweli (or Dobrovolska or Borkovska) ahead of three more senior spooks with field experience and Barbara Woodward, ambassador to the UN and China expert.

    Revenant may be aware as he has a retired spook relative. This relative is aware of how former spooks helped the Blair family hide their investments, income and tentacles.

    Before readers go further, please search for Al Mayadeen, David Miller, Zionism and the civil service. The link prevents messages and comments getting through.

    Tamara Finkelstein was one of the quartet shortlisted to be head of the civil service a few months ago. She did not get the top job.

    There’s similar in politics, the media and academia. Former Green MP Caroline Lucas formed part of the witch hunt to have David Miller fired from Bristol university. Richard Murphy was similarly targeted at Sheffield. It was agreed that Richard retire quietly last spring. A group of Jewish employees had been gunning for Gary Lineker’s dismissal from the BBC since last year.

    It turns out that Foreign Secretary David Lammy was recruited by Labour Friends of Israel as an undergraduate at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Soon after being elected as a municipal councillor in north London, he gave a big hint that his masters at Harvard and introduction to his wife, Nicola Green, were facilitated by the LFI. It also turns out that five new and young Scottish Labour MPs are similarly sponsored.

    Most of Labour’s money comes from Jewish oligarchs. The party has fewer than 200k members, a third of what Corbyn assembled.

    These oligarchs include Gary Lubner, a South African. He started working life as a policeman in apartheid South Africa and became a sanctions buster, teaming up with the brother of Labour politician Margaret Hodge, another Zionist.

    Lubner’s son is a Labour Party official.

    Lubner sponsored Labour MP Imogen Walker. She’s the wife of Morgan McSweeney, chief of staff at No 10. Both spent time at kibbutzim in their twenties, not together. McSweeney, who hails from Cork and a Fine Gael family, teamed up with Mandelson upon his return from the kibbutz.

    It seems red army captain Dobrovolski, of Polish origin, was captured at Kharkov.

    Metreweli, a Georgian, is his widow’s second husband.

    Borkovski is the mother of the spook’s father. The spook’s father has used Borkovski and Metreweli professionally, the latter latterly.

    Reply ↓
  12. Colonel Smithers

    Thank you, Yves.

    Further to the link about the grandfather of the new head of MI6 and exchanges with Revenant, who has spook connections, may I repeat what I e-mailed you on Saturday evening:

    Disquiet has emerged in Whitehall about the influence of Israel and its proxies over the selection of Blaise Metreweli (or Dobrovolska or Borkovska) ahead of three more senior spooks with field experience and Barbara Woodward, ambassador to the UN and China expert.

    Revenant may be aware as he has a retired spook relative. This relative is aware of how former spooks helped the Blair family hide their investments, income and tentacles.

    Before readers go further, please search for Al Mayadeen, David Miller, Zionism and the civil service. The link prevents messages and comments getting through.

    Tamara Finkelstein was one of the quartet shortlisted to be head of the civil service a few months ago. She did not get the top job.

    There’s similar in politics, the media and academia. Former Green MP Caroline Lucas formed part of the witch hunt to have David Miller fired from Bristol university. Richard Murphy was similarly targeted at Sheffield. It was agreed that Richard retire quietly last spring. A group of Jewish employees had been gunning for Gary Lineker’s dismissal from the BBC since last year.

    It turns out that Foreign Secretary David Lammy was recruited by Labour Friends of Israel as an undergraduate at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Soon after being elected as a municipal councillor in north London, he gave a big hint that his masters at Harvard and introduction to his wife, Nicola Green, were facilitated by the LFI. It also turns out that five new and young Scottish women Labour MPs are similarly sponsored.

    Most of Labour’s money comes from Jewish oligarchs. The party has fewer than 200k members, a third of what Corbyn assembled.

    These oligarchs include Gary Lubner, a South African. He started working life as a policeman in apartheid South Africa and became a sanctions buster, teaming up with the brother of Labour politician Margaret Hodge, another Zionist and sanctions buster.

    Lubner’s son is a Labour Party official.

    Lubner sponsored Labour MP Imogen Walker. She’s the wife of Morgan McSweeney, chief of staff at No 10. Both spent time at kibbutzim in their twenties, not together. McSweeney, who hails from Cork and a Fine Gael family, teamed up with Mandelson upon his return from the kibbutz.

    It seems red army captain Dobrovolski, of Polish origin, was captured at Kharkov and teamed up with the British in Vienna, not Italy, after the war. Others in that group of Nazi collaborators were sent to Canada.

    Metreweli, a Georgian, is his widow’s second husband.

    Borkovski is the mother of the spook’s father. The spook’s father has used Borkovski and Metreweli professionally, the latter latterly.

    Reply ↓
    2. The Rev Kev

      Thank you, Colonel. It looks like the intent is to eventually have every British politician to have an Israeli-orientated “minder” like has happened with the Republicans in the US. They fund any candidate that loves themselves some Israel and slander any politician that doesn’t – like they did for Corbyn. Dissent will be cracked down on as time goes by. But with this Israeli influence, it may serve to undermine the UK. They already jumped this woman with a dodgy past over the heads of several professionals which makes her a political choice. And with her past, I would expect her to target Russia as if her life depended on it which may lead to her giving the go-ahead for some dubious schemes.

      Reply ↓
      1. bertl

        I suspect Russophobia coupled with philosemitism will soon reveal itself in a series of intelligence failures, and if she did leap over the heads of better qualified people she will have a lot of enemies scattered throughout Whitehall who will make sure she hangs herself as a lesson to the others.

        I’ve seen the Peter Principal operate in many institutions and I thought it generally applied only to males. Women had to be twice as good as men it they were in competition for a promotion. Now, it seems, it pays to be a silly, slackjawed know-nothing woman with pronounced Russophobic tendencies and preferably a Nazi grandfather to get a head start on any competitors in politics or (laughing quietly) public service. I point to 360, the drab Estonian with a very strange political ancestry, Useless and, God help us, Rachel Reeves who has fallen into the tunnel Geoffrey Howe began in 1979 and completed in his 1981-82 Budget which left the UK a financialised consumption-based economy with limited production capabilities, now or in the future, and our once public utilities overpriced, over-indebted, overstretched and of uncertain reliability.

        Reply ↓
    3. Christopher Mann

      Just a little note about the Irish political party, Fine Gael, that some might find interesting: They are descended from the Blueshirts, a fascistic paramilitary force that sent 700 members to fight for Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Fascists and Zionists have been longtime bed fellows.

      Reply ↓
      1. cunamh

        While I loath Fine Gael, they did not send soldiers to Spain. The leader, Eoin O’Duffy was ousted from Fine Gael because of his views, and he then created a short-lived National Corporate Party (NCP). It was he, abetted by some of the church hierarchy, who punted the highly ineffective brigade to Spain. A bit of a self-promoting by O’Duffy for purposes of power. By the time of WWII, the vast majority of the Irish population supported the allies against the fascists.

        Reply ↓
  13. ChrisFromGA

    So, how is “Swamp Stooge” Mike Johnson going to keep his promise to allow 72 hours before voting on any bill that comes out of the Senate, with July 4th holiday now less than 72 hours away, and the Senate still voting on amendments?

    Oh yeah, I forgot, that is just another worthless promise that will be trampled underfoot by the stampeding fiscal clowns known as the GOP.

    Reply ↓
  14. Henry Moon Pie

    Zitron’s ridiculing AI “giants”–

    Amen. And Zitron doesn’t mention Thiel, whose interview by Ross Douthat is hot on Youtube right now, mostly because Douthat asked Thiel if he was the antichrist. Thiel’s mumbling and bumbling may help disguise the fact that he can’t string together a coherent paragraph of thought. His use of the Bible shows either a deep ignorance of its contents or a shameless willingness to distort and manipulate to derive support for his own insane beliefs.

    These people are just pitchmen for projects that claim to be cures for cancer level advances when they’re nothing more than surveillance and manipulation tools or just outright frauds.

    The boys at Due Dissidence have a little fun with the Douthat/Thiel interview.

    Reply ↓
    1. Kurtismayfield

      AI will be great at creating a level of flappers between the powers that be and the hoi polloi. The goal is for business and all that can pay for it is to never to be bothered by a human being again. The only relationship thay tgey want is to extract their noney.

      Reply ↓
    2. Michael Fiorillo

      I’d be leery of getting too enthusiastic about Zitron’s rant, which is fun but risks underestimating the enemy.

      I’m in no position to question Zitron’s analysis of AI’s viability (which I intuitively share), but in my experience over the years, I’ve found it common for political and business types to sound like idiots for mass audiences, as a form of misdirection. Combine that, as Eve has said about Trump, with tenacity and cunning (not to be confused with intelligence), and it’s not implausible to assume that Altman speaks with a lot more cogency and detail in private strategy sessions.

      Bush the First was ridiculed for his apparent stupidity and word salad speech, but he led the CIA during a very active phase in its history, and in retrospect has come to be seen as the last reality-based President. Sure, we can attribute a lot of his “successes” as President to James Baker, but still, I’d be wary about being complacent about Altman and his like…

      Reply ↓
  15. Siloman

    Re AI – AI could more properly be called DI – Derivative Intelligence (and yes artificial as well) – in the same way that there are derivatives of securities. Parsed, repackaged and resold pieces of an original asset posing as a “new” investment opportunity, created solely for the purposed making money without actually creating anything new. Underlying it all is the original asset. In the case of AI/DI, the underlying asset is human intelligence. The derivative is not any better than that.

    Reply ↓
    2. Mikel

      Indeed. Much of this is fintech bros’ ideas about tech – from the PayPal Mafia to the CoreWeave paper (or digits) shuffle.

      Reply ↓
      1. lyman alpha blob

        It’s a couple decades in now and I still haven’t figured out the purpose of paypal and why it’s any better than paying online with a debit card. It does seem to be an additional vector for scammers to use judging by the amount of fraudulent emails related to paypal I’ve received after making one small purchase years ago to find out what all the fuss was about. Perhaps the grift opportunities are the point.

        Reply ↓
        1. cfraenkel

          It was the first mover in that space. Way back then, the only alternative was traditional credit cards, with their eye-watering interest rates, sky high merchant fees and archaic merchant gateways where a seller had to invest a ton of paperwork to get set up. Also remember, the initial wave of e-commerce was driven by peer-to-peer transactions via platforms like craigslist and ebay, where the seller would not have even been able to accept a credit card payment.

          Now, mostly just inertia. And in my case, a tiny bit of buffer between a possibly dodgy vendor and my banking information.

          Reply ↓
          1. cfraenkel

            Not a coincidence that ebay and paypal are joined at the hip…. they enabled each others business model.

            Reply ↓
          2. anahuna

            My son and I find PayPal a convenient way to share household expenses. Coincidentally, this morning I received a scam email purportedly from PayPal, purportedly offering to resolve a possibly fraudulent transaction, complete with fake help number. I ignored that number and called PayPal help. Situation quickly resolved, but it did seriously eat in to my Wimbledon viewing.

            Reply ↓
  16. The Rev Kev

    “Iran demands security guarantee before resuming nuclear talks with US”

    Well that’s not going to happen.In fact, Trump is so mad at the Iranians for not being defeated that he is refusing to talk to them-

    ‘Tell phony Democrat Senator Chris Coons that I am not offering Iran ANYTHING, unlike Obama, who paid them $Billions under the stupid ‘road to a Nuclear Weapon JCPOA (which would now be expired!), nor am I even talking to them since we totally OBLITERATED their Nuclear Facilities’

    https://news.antiwar.com/2025/06/30/trump-says-hes-not-offering-iran-anything/

    So it’s a race right now. One between Israel to be re-armed and for Iran to revamp their defenses with the help of the Russians and the Chinese. My money is on Iran finishing first for a simple reason. Missiles. Israel is going to need thousands and thousands of missiles to defend themselves against Iranian drones and ballistic missiles. But with worldwide production of Patriot battery missiles being only about 660 per year, it will take the US years and years to re-supply Israel alone and that is not forgetting themselves and places like the Ukraine. I suspect other missiles like THAAD battery missiles will be having similar problems.

    Reply ↓
    1. John Wright

      The upside of the USA de-industrializing and financializing may be a better shot at world peace because the USA can’t produce weapons fast enough.

      This may be blamed on the nefarious Russians/Chinese who not only influence USA elections, outshining the USA’s political spin industry and harming the USA’s democracy, while China decimated USA manufacturing to harm the USA’s defense industry production capacity.

      But the USA is a world power in financial engineering, so Russia and China should be fearful.

      Reply ↓
  17. Adam1

    “That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was On Purpose”

    In 2021 my dad died and I was administering his estate. My dad owed back taxes to the IRS and once I had all of his assets available I needed to contact the IRS to get a pay-off amount and organize an electronic payment. It literally took about 5 minutes of pushing buttons and listening to que options to get where I needed to be. The crazy part was that for several months I’d go through these hoops and instead of getting a person I’d get a message that said they were too busy and couldn’t answer my call; and then the call would be disconnected. The first time I got this message I almost had a stroke.

    Reply ↓
  18. ChrisFromGA

    One small bit of good news … the Senate just amended the BBPoS to remove the AI regulation moratorium:

    Tech Lords smacked down

    At least states will be free to pass laws restricting AI grifters, tools, and con artists. Too bad they won’t just get rid of the entire bill.

    Something unrelated but telling happened with another amendment. It would have taxed the super-rich to pay for a hospital fund to help rural hospitals. It got 18 GOP votes, but somehow didn’t pass?

    That means that the Democrats were so spiteful that they voted against taxing the super rich, probably because they figure strategically it increases the chance that the whole thing collapses.

    Reply ↓
      1. ChrisFromGA

        On further review, here is the story I was referring to:

        https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senate-rejects-collins-amendment-to-support-rural-hospitals/ar-AA1HKZlg

        The amendment failed 78-22, with 18 GOP Senators voting “Yes.” That means that only 4 Democrats supported raising taxes on the super-rich.

        What could explain this? As you pointed out, the bill passed and this isn’t a strategy to tank the economy. This is a deliberate effort to hurt more people so that they can have the issue for the next election.

        Kind of like refusing to raise the minimum wage permanently by indexing it to inflation. They’d rather have a campaign issue than help actual people.

        Reply ↓
        1. Randall Flagg

          >Kind of like refusing to raise the minimum wage permanently by indexing it to inflation. They’d rather have a campaign issue than help actual people.

          Kind of like “Fighting for a Woman’s right to an abortion” for how many decades now, even when the Ds controlled the White House, Senate and House of reps? How many other issues too?

          Reply ↓
  19. ciroc

    >PG&E is hiring an executive bodyguard. Combat shooting experience required

    Protecting executives isn’t just about their personal safety, Kucera said. It’s also about protecting the company’s value. UnitedHealthcare lost about $63 billion in value after its CEO was killed. PG&E’s recent listing notes that its executive protection department “plays a critical role” in not only securing its leadership but “maintaining business continuity.”

    Would anyone be interested in investing in a company whose CEO fears being killed by its customers?

    Reply ↓
    1. Cat Burglar

      The writer of the PG&E article mentioned rate increases as a possible cause ofthreat to the “assets,” but did not mention that PG&E is a criminal enterprise that has committed multiple felonies that caused deaths, and probably has rigged elections (I love that simply googling “floating ballot box lids” still brings this up as the top link), and this is widely understood by its customers.

      US District Judge Alsup’s final report on the five years of Court-appointed monitoring over PG&E:

      Rehabilitation of a criminal offender remains the paramount goal of probation. During these five years of criminal probation, we have tried hard to rehabilitate PG&E. As the supervising district judge, however, I must acknowledge failure.

      While on probation, PG&E has set at least 31 wildfires, burned nearly one and one-half million acres, burned 23,956 structures, and killed 113 Californians. PG&E has pled guilty to 84 manslaughter…

      So, in these five years, PG&E has gone on a crime spree and will emerge from probation as a continuing menace to California.

      Reply ↓
  20. The Rev Kev

    With the ‘Red Wedding, this is not the first time that Game of Thrones has been used with Iran. Some people may remember the poster that Trump came up with in his first term as President where it says ‘Sanctions Are Coming’ in a Game of Thrones-style script-

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-03/hbo-rankles-at-trump-use-of-game-of-thrones-meme/10462836

    As Trump makes everything personal as President instead of professional and calculated, then maybe Iran can send a message to Trump the next time he thinks of attacking Iran. They could say-

    ‘Tell Trump that Iran remembers. Tell him that Winter will come for House Trump.’

    Reply ↓
    2. urdsama

      I think Trump may in for rude surprise since he makes King Joffrey look like the second coming of King Jaehaerys I.

      A complete clown show.

      Reply ↓
      1. bayoustjohndavid

        IIRC, Tywin Lannister okayed the Red Wedding & promised Walder Frey protection. That makes the U.S. the Lannisters in the analogy — a good, if imperfect one. The Lannisters seemed rich but were secretly going boke — the U.S. not so secretly. The Lannisters went from producing capable (if unethical) leaders to producing Joffrey. And, of course, the House Lannister ended up in ruins

        Reply ↓
  22. The Rev Kev

    “Europe needs a Metternich ”

    ‘The greatest diplomats of all time were a Frenchman and an Austrian. Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord was a master of political opportunism, rivalled only by his Habsburg counterpart, Klemens von Metternich.’

    They were giants in their day. And now Europe has Kaja Kallas. Jesus wept.

    Reply ↓
    1. nyleta

      Metternich never claimed he could stop the progress of events, he believed that by his personal charisma and diplomatic dexterity he could pause it during his lifetime.

      Talleyrand was simply the ultimate operative, whoever he worked for at that time.

      Reply ↓
  23. Jake Dickens

    Sam Altman. I just watched a YouTube video interview of Karen Hao about her book about AI, the AI industry and Altman. She is very bright, has worked in Silicon Valley, seems to know the players and sees Altman as very capable and plugged-in with the people who develop AI. The opposite of Zitron’s view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8enXRDlWguU&t=1s

    Reply ↓
    1. Michaelmas

      Hao has the inside track. Paul Graham put Sam Altman in place at Y Combinator when Graham decided he’d made enough money and moved back to the UK. That right there tells you that Altman is not some goofy guy who got lucky — and not a good guy — but a serious operator who was casting around for a means to reach Gates, Ellison,Bezos, and Zuckerberg super-oligarch status and decided that founding OpenAI was it.

      Reply ↓
  24. lyman alpha blob

    RE: Ed Zitron’s latest

    At my place of employment, we recently received a missive from upper management about AI, and the gist was that we were going to use it, not really sure why exactly but it will somehow lead to moar groaf, so please feel free to think up some good reasons and forward them along. I’d love to send Zitron’s piece (although I like being employed a little more, so won’t), especially this tidbit which rings true like a thousand Notre Dames bonging on all at once –

    “…the reason the powerful sound like idiots is because, well, they’re idiots. They sound like Business Idiots and create products to sell to Business Idiots, because Business Idiots run most companies and buy solutions based on what the last Business Idiot told them.”

    Reply ↓
    2. Mirjonray

      The Business Idiots in Zitron’s article remind me of an updated version of how I used to imagine Big 4, Big Big 3, Big 2? auto execs in Detroit getting their ideas from reading Forbes and Fortune magazines while waiting their turns at the barber shop.

      Reply ↓
  25. Carolinian

    Re Art of the Gaslight

    What the Russians fear is that Trump can be mousetrapped into a nuclear first strike against Russia or some other country that will require a Russian nuclear response—their fear is an existential fear.

    That’s quite a bit of mindreading there. On might even suggest that the article itself is gaslighting. I on the other hand agree with those who say Trump is a reluctant warrior who doesn’t mind puffing out his chest from time to time but has little interest in obliterating everything including himself. And while Putin may or may not secretly despise Trump he gets this. Trump is indeed a weak character but not so weak as to casually start WW3. Most of the schemes people are talking about–the Russian bomber attack, the Iranian attack–were hatched pre Trump by the true crazies in the Biden admin. They after all blew up Nordstream and Biden openly wished for the death of Putin.

    Trump on the other hand lives in a Fox News reality show world. As long as his ego is being massaged obliteration is optional.

    Reply ↓
    1. AG

      I assume one goal behind RU´s swift remodeling and expansion of latest RU Navy vessels, subs and missile ships e.g. and the build-up of its Pacific Fleet is to make clear to the US without a shred of doubt that a US first strike will not do.

      And even though the voices that we get to hear in public like Wilkerson, Ritter or McGovern – which are limited in numbers after all – paint in stark colours – I have the impression that the US complex is too large to be controlled 100%. So that at some desk and in some offices still people are to be found who read the stuff we do and who find that corroborated by data we have no access to.

      And if Andrei Martyanov boastfully claims CIA is listening to his stuff, I am convinced of that (of course what are a few listeners from Langely worth in an org of 20k employees) – yet the very open statements made by StratCom last year at CSIS on still “winning nuclear war” could also be seen as a form of weakness and cheerleading to make sure the ranks stay closed. Because StratCom isnt´really convinced of their bullshit internally.

      One need to keep in mind that the empire needs the rabble to believe in its superhuman strength.
      But by now no one can gloss over the fact that that is not the case any more. So what you do? You do strongman rethorics and claim “nothing to see here”. But just like with Naked Gun – in our case both the actor and the audience are aware its an act only.

      Reply ↓
    2. JP

      War collages (the Pentagon) are supposed to run scenarios to be ready for circumstances.

      Using those plans in any circumstance is optional.

      Reply ↓
      1. chris

        I love the idea of war collages. Like, there is a room in the Pentagon where these generals in uniform are very seriously decopaging clippings and photos from magazines they like into images of what they hope the next war will be like. Then they show them to the general staff leadership and they’re told, “Very nice – now make a macaroni painting of Iran’s borders.”

        Reply ↓
  26. stefan

    In the past 24 hours, Trump has threatened Elon Musk, Thomas Massie, Japan, a judge in Israel, the CEO of AT&T, Jerome Powell, Canada, Thom Tillis, a Forbes reporter, Harvard, & migrants with being eaten by Burmese pythons in the Everglades, while releasing a new line of colognes.

    Reply ↓
    2. ChrisFromGA

      Perhaps if he threatens enough of the population, we can all get temporary restraining orders on him. Limiting him to White House arrest.

      Reply ↓
    4. The Rev Kev

      Somebody should take a hammer to his fingers so that he can’t use his Truth social account anymore. The only time that he shuts up is when something he ordered causes catastrophic results that threaten to blow back on him.

      Reply ↓
  27. Mikel

    Israel v. the Rest of the Resistance

    “Resistance” in Gaza? At this point that’s like calling the starvation a hunger strike.

    Reply ↓
      1. Mikel

        What’s up with the editing? What happened could have been shown in a shorter amount of time.
        At any rate, I don’t see those kinds of actions bringing Israel to the bargaining table. But then…what kind of bargain can be made with them considering all of the diversionary and scorched earth tactics.

        Reply ↓
      2. The Rev Kev

        Seven soldiers burnt to death because they did not keep the hatch shut of their APC in the middle of an active combat zone and left it unguarded. You know, it that all happened of a night time, it would look like the future wars of the Terminator series-

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLs6zZVHWVM (3:42 mins)

        Reply ↓
  28. Mikel

    Costco Membership. Paul R: “Costco enshittifies.”

    Because apparently nothing can be enjoyed unless other people’s discomfort (or on the more extreme end – suffering) can be made visible.

    Reply ↓
    2. ccg

      When I first went to Costco a little over 30 years ago that was how it worked, business/gold card had an extra hour or hour and a half each morning, and was surprised 10 years ago after not having been to one in many years that the opening time was the same for everyone.

      Reply ↓
  29. ChrisFromGA

    I am not sure how many of you are numbers folks or Van Halen fans, but the fact that the Senate just passed the BBPoS (big, beautiful piece of …) by a vote of 51-50 strikes me as more than a coincidence.

    “5150” was the name of Eddie Van Halen’s studio.

    In turn, the studio was named after Section 5150 of the California Welfare & Institutions Code. This part of the legal code allows certain designated individuals to place someone with a mental health disorder under temporary custody in specific circumstances.

    https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-behind-van-halens-5150/

    Any Senator who voted “Y” on this bloated, deficit increasing monstrosity ought to committed as mentally deranged and dangerous to the public welfare.

    Reply ↓
  30. Tom Stone

    An indication of how bad it will get is the total lack of consequences when Kristi Noem had her thugs rough up the chair of the Senate Judiciary committee.
    The Senate Judiciary committee has the responsibility for oversight of DHS, Alex Padilla is Kristin Noem’s boss , legally.
    Her response when asked about the incident was “He didn’t identify himself”, which was a lie, and it beggars belief that she didn’t know who he was.
    No consequences for her or her thugs, very serious consequences for the rest of us.

    Reply ↓
  31. AG

    re: Germany-Ukraine madness unabated

    Another example for what I constantly stress, German artists are at the forefront of the war.

    In this case it´s actually mostly Austria but that makes no difference (hailed author received the German Peace Prize for Literature in 2022. Critics of the decision then were cancelled.)

    Ukrainian Neonazi poet/writer Serhij Zhadan receives:

    “The 2025 Austrian State Prize for European Literature”

    Minister´s Statement

    “(…)
    Serhij Zhadan is one of the most incisive writers of contemporary European literature, who has become the literary voice of Ukrainians. His prose poems, free verse, song lyrics, diary entries, short stories, and novels navigate the contemporary history of Ukraine and allow readers to peer deep into the hearts of its inhabitants. Serhij Zhadan gives literary language to the horror of war and the invisible, all-encompassing fear,” said Federal Minister for Arts and Culture and Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler. “He gives the people of Ukraine back their voice and their individuality, which they are in danger of losing in the face of Russia’s war of aggression. His work expresses what everyday language cannot express. It possesses the literary power needed to bear witness and offer hope in times of war and terror. My deepest respect goes to the author and poet, the human being Serhij Zhadan, with whom I feel a sense of solidarity, and I offer my warmest congratulations!”
    (…)
    The Austrian State Prize for European Literature has been awarded since 1965 for the complete literary work of a European author that has received significant international recognition, as documented by translations. The work must also be available in German translation. The prize is endowed with EUR 25,000.
    The award ceremony will be held by the Vice Chancellor and the Federal Minister for Art and Culture.
    (…)”

    Jury Statement

    “(…)
    “Serhij Zhadan develops his fascinatingly artistic, yet always highly vibrant and multi-voiced literary spaces against a clearly recognizable historical backdrop. The Russian annexation of Crimea and other regions of eastern Ukraine dominates the novel Internat (German 2018). Here, a war without a declaration of war is depicted, the effects on people’s everyday lives are disastrous. With Russia’s major attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the author’s life and writing changed radically. Zhadan performed with his rock band in hidden locations to support the Ukrainian people and his army, offering himself as a helper behind the front lines in the defensive struggle. In the form of an imaginary diary, he records his notes and recordings from that time in the volume Sky over Kharkiv (2022), which also took the form of social media posts. This literature of direct and unvarnished witnessing also made a great impression in the West. By the middle of the year In 2024, Zhadan himself joined a volunteer battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard and has since been directly involved in the fight against the Russian aggressors. Just a few months ago, the author published a volume of poetry with Suhrkamp Verlag, which publishes his literary work in German translation, that depicts the disruption of February 24, 2022, as a gaping wound in lyrical language. It is a sign of hope and a mark of successful resistance that the war imposed on Ukraine has upended the voice of literature here, but ultimately not silenced it.”
    (…)”

    About Serhij Zhadan

    “(…)
    “Serhij Zhadan, born in 1974 in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, studied German literature, earned his doctorate on Ukrainian futurism, and has been a leading figure in Kharkiv’s youth scene since 1991. He made his literary debut at the age of 17 and has published twelve volumes of poetry and seven prose works. He was awarded the Jan Michalski Literature Prize and the Brücke Berlin Prize in 2014 (together with Juri Durkot and Sabine Stöhr) for “The Invention of Jazz in Donbass.” The BBC named the book “Book of the Decade.” In 2022, he received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. Zhadan lives in Kharkiv and has been a soldier since May 2024.
    (…)”

    Reply ↓
  32. cfraenkel

    Re: the second bonus. That’s not a proud mother. That ‘smile’ is fear. It’s a stress reaction when a dog is threatened and can’t run away, in this case because she can’t leave her pups defenceless. I want to rescue that poor animal from her abusive owner. What kind of monster psychologically tortures a mother for internet points?

    Reply ↓
  33. Wukchumni

    11 year old schoolgirls plotting to murder a fellow male student was never a choice on my bingo card of what ails us, its almost preposterous.

    Reply ↓
  34. Jason Boxman

    From That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.

    Terrible examples that demonstrate how much monopoly pricing power has seeped into every day life. You can’t credibly punish in many cases, because There is No Alternative.

    Customers are part of the problem too, Tenumah added.

    “We’ve gotten collectively worse at punishing companies we do business with,” he said. He pointed to a deeply unpopular airline whose most dissatisfied customers return only slightly less often than their most satisfied customers. “We as customers have gotten lazy. I joke that all the people who hate shopping at Walmart are usually complaining from inside Walmart.”

    Walmart drove plenty of smaller stores out of business over the past 25 years; where else you gonna go? Similar with airlines, where there might only be a few competing airlines for a market. You can’t exactly take the train.

    Reply ↓
  35. AG

    re: EU Ukraine

    German Multipolar blog reporting:

    EU Commission wants to simplify the accession process for Ukraine and Moldova

    Hungarian newspaper: Brussels wants to “eliminate” the veto rights of Hungary and other EU member states / MEPs: Ukraine’s accession will drag all of Europe into war / EU Commission: Enlargement policy is a “geostrategic investment”

    (use google translate)
    https://multipolar-magazin.de/meldungen/0283

    p.s. Whatever Alastair Crooke might have suggested 3 years ago with all sanity, that Europe would have to walk away from this suicide eventually – I don´t see it in the government, I do not see it in the media elite, I do not see it with academia. And not with the economic players.

    p.p.s.

    Richard Sakwa´s final statement in his latest book “The Culture of the Second World War”:

    “(…)
    These elements have their counterparts in Russia, China and a number
    of other major states. A reviewer of Gary Saul Morson’s Wonder Confronts
    Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter
    notes that once again the Commissars of Certainty rule triumphant. He
    argues ‘More than any one ideology, it is access to unrestrained power that
    turns people into monsters’.12 The intolerance practiced at home is reflected
    in international affairs. In the United States, communities are increasingly
    ‘sorting’: that is, drawing apart from antithetical groups and gathering in
    communities of like-minded people. A global process of ‘sorting’ is also taking
    shape, with nations aligning along ideological lines. The Political West
    has long been concerned with maintaining bloc unity, condemning Russian
    and now increasingly Chinese attempts to drive ‘wedges’ within Europe
    and between the United States and its European partners. Meanwhile, the
    Political East is becoming a community of anti-hegemonic states, devising
    alternatives to the presumptuous pre-eminence of the United States and the
    debilitated powerlessness of its allies. This is the culture of Cold War II. By
    analysing its features, this book
    (…)”

    He used to end on a more positive tune in the preceding years argueing for compromise to be achievable.
    It´s much less visible now. Of course the book was put together at the height of the witch hunt in UK against people like him. But I assume that is rather a breathing pause now.

    Reply ↓
    1. AG

      end quote was missing:

      “(…)By analysing its features, this book may help transcend cold war as a way of conducting
      international affairs.(…)”

      Reply ↓
  36. Alice X

    Truthout

    UN Expert Exposes Companies Aiding Israel’s Genocide, Occupation in Palestine

    UN human rights expert Francesca Albanese has released a report naming dozens of companies that bear complicity in Israel’s genocide and apartheid in Palestine, aiming to show how companies have built Israel’s occupation into a sprawling, profitable industry.

    In her report released Monday, Albanese names over 60 companies, including numerous U.S.-based companies, for their role in advancing Israel’s military campaign, settlement building, and mass forced displacement.

    read on…

    I believe I previously linked this interview relating to the report:

    Starvation and Profiteering in Gaza (w/ Francesca Albanese) | The Chris Hedges Report

    Reply ↓
    1. AG

      Thank you.
      Might correspond with a longer post of mine here later about how Germany and IDF are cooperating on Cyber-Security.
      Companies involved there one way or the other also most likely are participating in what Albanese is depicting.
      Awful people but a formidable lady.

      Reply ↓
  37. AG

    re: Germany IDF cooperation

    via German-language
    https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/news/detail/10038

    The “Cyber ​​Dome”
    Germany announces a “Cyber ​​and Security Pact” with Israel, which will include cooperation in “cyber defense” and closer intelligence cooperation. At the same time, further serious war crimes by the IDF are reported.

    01 Jul 2025

    BERLIN/TEL AVIV (Own report) – Germany is expanding its military, cyber, and intelligence cooperation with Israel. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced a “cyber and security pact” with the country over the weekend, which will include, among other things, cooperation in “cyber defense” and counter-drone warfare, as well as an intensification of intelligence cooperation. Israel’s capabilities in the field of cyber warfare are considered outstanding; they included sensational cyber sabotage against the Iranian nuclear program a good 15 years ago and today include sophisticated capabilities in controlling military operations with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), which were first tested on a large scale in the Iran war. By expanding the cooperation, Berlin can build on the Bundeswehr’s long-standing intensive cooperation with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as well as on a close arms cooperation. This close repression and military alliance is developing at a time when new allegations of alleged war crimes against the IDF are emerging. It highlights the harsh German repression against supporters of the Palestinians.

    (…)

    After initial beginnings in the 1950s, this cooperation was expanded first in the 1980s and then especially in the 1990s.[1] The goal was to utilize the operational experience of the Israeli armed forces for the intended transformation of the Bundeswehr into a globally operating intervention force; for this purpose, German soldiers were trained in Israel, among other things, in “house-to-house and tunnel warfare.” The Bundeswehr literally describes its cooperation with the IDF as “incredibly close.”[2] In addition, the arms industries of both countries are also increasingly cooperating. For example, the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) leased their first Heron 1 drones, which they deployed in Afghanistan from 2010, from a consortium of IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) and the Rheinmetall Group.[3] In 2022, the decision was made to procure the Israeli Arrow 3 anti-aircraft missiles for the construction of the planned European air defense shield (European Sky Shield Initiative, ESSI).[4] Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system has sometimes been cited as a model for ESSI.

    (…)

    With its new plans for a “Cyber ​​Dome,” the German government is now seeking to benefit from Israel’s cyberwarfare capabilities, which are considered to be world-class. Unit 8200, an IDF unit subordinate to the military intelligence service Aman, is well known. Unit 8200 specializes in electronic reconnaissance and all types of cyber operations. Unit 8200 is closely linked to the Israeli cyber industry, not least because its members often move to private companies in the sector after completing their service. According to consistent reports, it is involved in a wide variety of operations, from surveillance of individuals to monitoring military operations, and is closely integrated into the IDF military headquarters during wartime. Last year, one of its commanders confirmed that Unit 8200 uses artificial intelligence (AI) to select human targets in the Gaza War, who are subsequently attacked by IDF units.[5] AI has also played a very important role on the Israeli side in the war against Iran

    (…).

    In order to align with Israeli capabilities, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced a “cyber and security pact” with the country during a visit to Israel at the weekend, identifying “five points” on which cooperation is to be specifically expanded. Firstly, this involves closer “cooperation in cyber defense”; Israel has gained extensive experience in this area during its conflicts with other states in the Near and Middle East. It is not mentioned whether Israeli offensive capabilities are also part of the cooperation; after all, they included, for example, triggering the explosion of explosive-laden pagers in Lebanon – civilian devices whose mines are prohibited under international law.[8] In addition, a “center for German-Israeli cyber research” is to be established. Thirdly, it is about strengthening German capabilities in drone defense; fourthly, “civil protection and the warning system” for the German population in the event of war should be improved. In addition, the “Five-Point Plan” envisages closer “cooperation between intelligence services … and security authorities”; the BND and Mossad are explicitly mentioned. According to Dobrindt, the project (“Cyber ​​Dome”) is intended to increase not only “military” but also “overall defense capabilities.”[9]

    The announcement of the plans for the “Cyber ​​Dome” comes shortly after the publication of a report on alleged renewed serious war crimes by the IDF in the Gaza War. According to the report, since the opening of the internationally heavily criticized US distribution centers for humanitarian aid, Israeli soldiers have deliberately fired shots at arriving people and those waiting at the centers before and after the distribution time – on the grounds that the crowds had to be dispersed. According to figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which are usually considered reliable, 549 people have been killed near the distribution centers since the end of May; more than 4,000 have been injured, some seriously.[10] The daily newspaper Haaretz quoted a soldier deployed near the distribution centers as saying: “This is a killing field.” At his deployment location, “between one and five people were killed every day.” None of the usual security measures for controlling large crowds – such as the use of tear gas – were taken, but instead every imaginable weapon was used: “heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars.” There was no danger whatsoever for the soldiers: “I cannot remember a single case in which the fire was returned.”[11] There was “no enemy” there, “no weapons”.

    Berlin remains silent on the matter, as usual. The impending addition of a new cyberwarfare and intelligence component to the already intensive military and arms cooperation amounts to a comprehensive German-Israeli repression and military alliance, which requires an extremely close alliance and does not allow for serious criticism of the other side. At the same time, the initiation of such an alliance provides an insight into why the German government is using unprecedented repression not only against any support for Palestinian causes, but also against any criticism of Israeli government policies
    (…)”

    p.s. Perhaps I am seeing ghosts. But despite GFP´s out-of-the-ordinary reporting on the topic of its blog in general, here I sense a certain restraint to actually address the genocidal feature of what IDF commits and simply use the adequate vocabulary. German domestic conduct appears to be more reprehensible than the murder of by now maybe 377k people (that study is not mentioned either though it has been out the last week already.)

    Reply ↓
  38. ambrit

    Financial Zeitgeist Report.
    Our regional bank has just embedded a notice in the online banking page to the effect that cheque funds availability amounts are being raised a bit. Hmmmm. Something called Regulation CC is involved. So, a fixed up front amount of deposited cheques will be available, and the rest will come later. How much later?
    The relevant clause? ” Funds from all other check deposits will be available on the 9th business day after the day of your deposit.” All other seems to exclude Treasury deposits to your account.
    Talk about “playing the float!”
    Fun fact: The message today states that the date of the regulation’s implementation is, ta da!, July 1st.
    Stay safe. Keep some cash handy.

    Reply ↓
  40. Tom Stone

    I keep in mind that Donald Trump is a 79 year old Narcissist who has had Covid several times.
    At 79 years old with a historically shitty diet it is not surprising that he is losing what little self control he had when younger.
    Sustaining your delusional self image takes a LOT of effort, Trump needs the constant over the top sycophancy, has to avoid anything but Fox News and ignore the glaring screw ups his policies have caused.
    Outbursts of rage and increasingly erratic behavior are to be expected.
    Stay safe and enjoy the show.

    Reply ↓
  41. chris

    Sharing this link about trombe walls because it may be that NC commentariat aren’t familiar with this kind of passive technology. It is a fairly simple thing to build but it takes planning. In the summer time you can cover the wall with shades or a roll up door. You need to consider how you will deal with humidity indoors if you incorporate the passive designs into your residence. But that’s something that can also be accommodated with planning.

    These are things that we can do now to assist with climate change challenges and maintain a comfortable home.

    Reply ↓
  42. AG

    Today a colleague urged me to use “Perplexity” AI research tool because it would deliver what I demanded, a real research of sites not just simulation of results and sources revealed and listed.
    I appear to become the Last Mohican.

    Reply ↓
  43. MaryLand

    On June 1, 2025, Howmet Aerospace announced a declaration of force majeure, citing significant challenges posed by tariffs and other unforeseen circumstances affecting its operations. This legal provision allows the company to suspend its contractual obligations when faced with uncontrollable events.

    Howmet Aerospace has been significantly affected by tariffs imposed by the U.S. government, which have disrupted its supply chain and increased operational costs. The company indicated that these tariffs could lead to a halt in shipments of certain components.

    Despite the declaration, Howmet expressed a willingness to negotiate with customers regarding the sharing of tariff-related costs. The company aims to collaborate on potential solutions to mitigate the impact of these tariffs.

    Howmet (HWM on the NYSE) today was dropped from all Russell lists. The stock price at close today was $176.22 down $9.91 or 5.32%. We’ll see if they can negotiate a carve out with the Trump administration.

    Powell may find the tariffs are beginning to bite, causing inflation down the road.

    Reply ↓

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