Unbelievable. A few years ago, MBS was a pariah for ordering the awful death of Kashoggi. Then Republicans criticized Biden for meeting with MBS. Then they were all in with Trump when he invited MBS to the WH. Now, Saudi Arabia has gotten a sweet nuclear deal with no constraints.

Is Trump trying to rig the World Cup by influencing the rules of play? If so, how typical of his MO in life. edition.cnn.com/2026/07/05/s...

FIFA stunned the soccer world by allowing the USA’s Folarin Balogun to play on Monday. Trump’s role is under the microscope | CNN

President Donald Trump’s role in FIFA’s stunning decision to allow striker Folarin Balogun to be eligible to play against Belgium on Monday in Seattle is under the microscope.

edition.cnn.com

Brian Klaas is number blind and on the wrong side of cognitive smarts. The quoted Air France flight 447 crash has the error "the now-stalled aircraft was descending at nearly 11,000 feet per second." I.e., 10x sonic speed and crashes in 3 seconds. braddelong.substack.com/p/crosspost-...

CROSSPOST: BRIAN KLAAS: The Great Cognitive Divide

Brian’s subheadline: “How AI could ensure the smart get smarter while everyone else gets left behind”. My take: shifting training regimens for cognitive élites...

braddelong.substack.com

A golden calf, with a pigs head, and a trump-like mane of hair. This represents the idolatry of MAGA supporters and the corruption of the leader with his head in the money trough. The faded US flag is what this ideology has supplanted.

Life imitating Art? While everyone's attention has been focused on "alignment" and "guardrails," this Guardian article should really scare you about what could be coming... www.theguardian.com/technology/n...

‘Exploit every vulnerability’: rogue AI agents published passwords and overrode anti-virus software

Exclusive: Lab tests discover ‘new form of insider risk’ with artificial intelligence agents engaging in autonomous, even ‘aggressive’ behaviours

theguardian.com

Interesting that Russia wasn't on his list of countries exacting tariffs on the US. Is Putin getting an exemption already without having to grovel?

Professors who study authoritarianism are leaving the U.S. yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/03...

Three prominent Yale professors depart for Canadian university, citing Trump fears

History department power couple Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore and philosophy professor Jason Stanley will begin teaching at the University of Toronto’s renowned Munk School in fall 2025.

yaledailynews.com

State agency resources and help are available for the LA fires victims. ca.gov/lafires

2025 Los Angeles Fires | CA.gov

Resources for Californians Impacted by 2025 Early January Los Angeles County Fires.

ca.gov