Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“Human beings are equipped with pattern recognition software so good that it can find patterns that are not there. That makes sense from an evolutionary point of view. Seeing a hidden tiger that is not actually there is a much less costly mistake than failing to see one that is there, so biasing the software in the direction of more of the first kind of error and fewer of the second, fewer false negatives and more false positives, is good design.” (05/13/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/false-positives-e1b
Source: SFGate
“A NASA spacecraft chasing a rare metal asteroid swings past Mars this week for a gravity boost, snapping thousands of pictures as practice for the main encounter in 2029. Named Psyche like the asteroid it’s after, the robotic explorer will slingshot past the red planet at 12,333 mph (19,848 kph) on Friday. It will be an especially close flyby, with Psyche passing within 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) of Mars, equivalent to the distance between the U.S. east and west coasts. Then it will barrel toward the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that is home to its enticing target. All of the spacecraft’s science instruments will be on for the Mars pass. NASA’s two Mars rovers along with a small fleet of U.S. and European orbiters will make surface and atmospheric observations at the same time for comparison..” (05/14/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/nasa-s-psyche-spacecraft-buzzing-mars-on-its-way-22258643.php
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“Could one Nebraska House race alter the Electoral College?” (05/13/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/13/nx-s1-5820912/could-one-nebraska-house-race-alter-the-electoral-college
Source: Washington Post
“Has the U.S. lost the Iran war?” (05/13/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/make-it-make-sense/has-the-us-lost-the-iran-war/
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Walgreens closes another store in another crime-ridden Chicago neighborhood, so of course folks get mad at Walgreens. The defeated Chatham store, closing its doors on June 4, suffered a million dollars in losses last year, citing theft rates ‘far above company average’ — according to one astute observer on X. … Local leaders ‘and residents’ are rallying ‘to demand’ that the chain either keep this particular store open or give money to healthcare organizations in the area. Hey, I’d like Walgreens to give me money to help me with stuff too. I wouldn’t think of demanding it though. Or demanding that Walgreens stores operate at a loss.” (05/13/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/13/walgreens-gives-up/
Source: In These Times
by Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg & Ethan Corey
“The Trump administration has doled out billions of taxpayer dollars to corporations tasked with carrying out its mass deportation agenda. Many of these same companies have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to sitting members of Congress, according to an investigation by The Appeal. Using Federal Election Commission records, The Appeal has compiled information on every member of Congress who received campaign contributions from the top contractors for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) either through the company’s Political Action Committee (PAC) or executives during the 2022, 2024 and 2026 election cycles. Over that period, executives at ICE’s biggest contractors donated more than $1.7 million to 168 members of Congress. Palantir CEO Alexander Karp outspent the other executives, donating a total of about $465,000, including nearly $200,000 to Democrats. The Appeal is publishing its findings in a searchable database found below and on a standalone web page.” (05/13/26)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/immigration-customs-enforcement-ice-palantir-congress-donations
Source: NBC News
“Political organizer Denise Powell has won the Democratic nomination in Nebraska’s 2nd District, NBC News projects, emerging from a tough primary fight in one of her party’s top opportunities to flip a swing seat this year. Powell narrowly defeated state Sen. John Cavanaugh in a race that featured five other Democratic candidates on the ballot. Powell had 39% to Cavanaugh’s 37% in the primary with about 90% of the expected vote tallied. She will advance to a general election matchup against Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. … Nebraska’s 2nd District has been a top target for Democrats for several election cycles, but GOP Rep. Don Bacon’s decision to retire at the end of his term has renewed enthusiasm among Democrats hoping to win his seat.” (05/13/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/denise-powell-wins-democratic-primary-top-house-battleground-district-rcna344472
Source: Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
“Trump/Rubio’s Tough-on-Cuba Policy Has Yet to Bear Fruits & May Be a Disaster w/ Lee Schlenker.” (05/13/26)
https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/e/lschlenker5-13-26/
Source: Libertarian Institute
“We sit down with Nick Cleveland-Stout of the Quincy Institute (and a writer at Drop Site News) to track a sweeping Israeli influence campaign in the United States that goes far beyond the usual Capitol Hill lobbying.” (05/13/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-with-nick-cleveland-stout-exposes-israels-massive-campaign-to-influence-american-christians-lawmakers/
Source: Aaron Ross Powell’s Blog
by Aaron Ross Powell
“Let a thousand mutually suspicious communities bloom.” (05/13/26)
https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/3mlqxgn3hzk2i
