Matthew Bennell
@matthewbennell.bsky.social
"No one does it alone, not even the madness." — Nicholas Ray If it's possible, it may happen. If it's impossible, it might happen. "Shut your eyes and you'll burst into flames." — Log Lady
This is why Covid remains a threat. Take it seriously. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
COVID can wake up a slew of dormant viruses inside you
Reactivation of typically harmless anelloviruses, in particular, seems to be linked with developing long COVID, study finds.
nature.com
And that's where the comparison between Trump and the Medicis begins and ends.
Towards an AI for Africa Western-developed AI rides roughshod over Ubuntu values of connection and community that animate African ethical life aeon.co/essays/an-ai...
aeon.co
How to include "we the people" in deciding AI's future. www.noemamag.com/how-to-give-...
How To Give Everyday People A Say In AI Governance | NOEMA
Tech leaders keep saying “we” must decide AI’s future. Here’s an actual plan to include the public.
noemamag.com
Exhaust the attacker's munitions and the attackee wins. www.reuters.com/world/us-has...
EXCLUSIVE: US has used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war, sources say
The degree to which the military is running out of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles has not been previously reported.
reuters.com
FYI: Blanche rescinded the ORDER establishing the slush fund, not the underlying “settlement.” The settlement says any changes must be agreed to by ALL parties, not just Todd. This “rescission” isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.
Senate cReeps protect the felon-in-chief, again. emptywheel.net/2026/08/03/s...
Senate Republicans Rush to Immunize Money Launder-in-Chief's Tax Crimes - emptywheel
Just days after learning that Donald Trump, his companies, and his spawn have, as recently as 2021, been laundering money, the Senate GOP is rushing to sanction DOJ's illegal decision to pardon those ...
emptywheel.net
Not that anyone here needs anymore proof of the congenital corruption of Trump & family — Capital One says anti-money laundering review prompted closure of more than 300 Trump-affiliated accounts. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Capital One says it closed Trump Organization's accounts after anti-money laundering probe
The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money laundering concerns to Trump's family business.
reuters.com
The worms crawl in, the ICE worms walk out ... www.latimes.com/california/s...
Video shows worm-like creatures in drinking water at ICE detention center
A federal court judge ordered sweeping changes at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Southern California two weeks ago. But some detainees say issues persist.
latimes.com
"... The obvious question is why the AI companies are risking even a small chance of their invention leading to human extinction by proceeding when they are fully aware they are losing control? Has any other species willfully put their existence at risk?" www.noemamag.com/ai-has-alrea...
AI Has Entered The ‘Loss Of Control’ Transition | NOEMA
Waiting for a disaster to save us.
noemamag.com
The ignorance and incompetence of the Trump regime continues — and no one is surprised. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference
State department ‘takes full responsibility’ for erroneous, widely shared chart displayed at Aids conference in Brazil
theguardian.com
Look, up in the sky! A new flying menace! Expecting bulk purchases from law enforcement ... “No learning curve. No pilot skills. No controller,” the company says. “Just launch and go.” petapixel.com/2026/07/30/h...
HoverAir Versa Is the World's First Flying Pocket Camera
From handheld gimbal camera to flying camera in seconds.
petapixel.com
Lobby-ing — "The building is not all that different from what many feel about Obama himself: gravity defying, seemingly impossible, yet also a real, apparently indomitable force in American liberalism." www.bostonreview.net/articles/in-...
In the Lobby of Hope and Change
The Obama Presidential Center monumentalizes a liberalism still incapable of seeing its flaws.
bostonreview.net
"Unidentified falling objects" in the Large Hadron Collider might hint at dark matter. (Does your brain hurt yet?) www.sciencealert.com/ufos-in-the-...
'UFOs' in The Large Hadron Collider May Be Hints of Dark Matter
For years, strange signals have been emerging from inside the Large Hadron Collider.
sciencealert.com
Why we can't have nice, and cheaper, things. www.techdirt.com/2026/07/30/t...
Trump Republicans Are Destroying Decades Of Policy Progress On Affordable Broadband
Quick background: the $8 billion FCC Universal Service Fund (USF) applies a small surcharge on traditional phone lines to fund broadband expansion to unserved rural homes, schools, and libraries (of which the U.S. has a lot thanks to rampant telecom monopolization). While the USF, like all government programs, hasn't been absent of fraud (usually at...
techdirt.com
AI — too cheap to control? (Like the PR over nuclear power at its beginning: "Clean, safe, too cheap to meter.") www.vox.com/technology/4...
AI could end up too cheap to control
Think anarchy, not oligarchy.
vox.com
Trump is making U.S. less safe. Is this a pretext for crackdowns should a big terror attack happen? www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/dems/p...
Peters Report Finds Trump Administration Has Dismantled Critical Counterterrorism Infrastructure and Weaponized What Remains Against Political Opponents, Leaving Americans Vulnerable to Terror Threats...
Senator Gary Peters released a new report detailing how the Trump Administration has systematically dismantled key elements of the nation’s post-9/11 counterterrorism infrastructure, diverting personn...
hsgac.senate.gov
Now, why would that be? "America gripped by election fears as November nears" www.axios.com/2026/07/30/e...
Election fears run rampant as November nears: poll
The worry over democracy doesn't stop with Election Day.
axios.com
News: The U.S. economy grew at a disappointing 1.5% in the 2nd quarter of 2026. Congratulations to @sarahbca.bsky.social for her “Bookmark this” comment last December when Howard Lutnick said 2Q of 2026 would be “amazing.” @atrupar.com
What an incentive for overseas students to stay. The brain drain continues from a brain-dead regime. WSJ: U.S. Weighs $100,000 Fee for Foreign Students Wanting to Work After Graduation