“Ukraine has summoned the Israeli ambassador to Kyiv in protest of the arrival of a Russian vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain in Haifa, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday evening. … A Ukrainian diplomatic source told Reuters earlier that Israel risks a diplomatic and legal response from Kyiv if it allows the vessel, Panormitis, to dock in the northern Israeli city. … Haaretz reported on Sunday that four shipments of grain from occupied Ukraine had already been unloaded in Israel this year. ‘The practice of laundering stolen goods is unacceptable, and Israel has essentially shrugged off our demands regarding the previous vessel,’ the source said.” (04/27/26)
“AI companies are beginning to entertain the possibility that they could cease to exist. This notion was, until recently, more theoretical: A couple of years ago, an ex-OpenAI employee named Leopold Aschenbrenner wrote a lengthy memo speculating that the U.S. government might soon take control of the industry. By 2026 or 2027, Aschenbrenner wrote, an ‘obvious question’ will be circling through the Pentagon and Congress: Do we need a government-led program for artificial general intelligence — an AGI Manhattan Project? He predicted that Washington would decide to go all in on such an effort.
Aschenbrenner may have been prescient.” (04/27/26)
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a new map for US House districts that appears to show Republicans gaining an advantage in four seats now held by Democrats. His proposal, released one day before the Florida Legislature opens a special session, targets a Tampa-area district held by Rep. Kathy Castor as well as an Orlando-area district held by Rep. Darren Soto. It also redraws districts in South Florida for Republican advantage. It’s the latest salvo in a coast-to-coast redistricting fight that President Donald Trump kicked off last year when Texas drew new lines at his behest. Just last week, Virginia voters approved a referendum that could give Democrats better chances at four US House seats in the state.” (04/27/26)
“With respect to the attempts on his life, Donald Trump is the victim of conspiracy-mongering. But somehow, it’s a little hard to feel too bad for him.” (04/27/26)
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Gary W Houchens, John Garen, & Caleb O Brown
“Coleman could be amenable to dismantling some regulatory barriers to education and employment, but her overall record raises serious questions about the policies she would bring to the Governor’s office.” (04/27/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The obtuseness regarding the U.S. drug war that has long afflicted American conservatives never ceases to amaze me. I just cannot understand how intelligent people can be so steadfastly ignorant when it comes to this manifestly evil and immoral federal program. Yet another example of this strange phenomenon comes from a right-winger named Joshua Treviño, who serves in two conservative organizations — the America First Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Texas Public Policy Institute in Austin, Texas. I’m not sure how old Treviño is but …. He obviously is a smart man and he’s clearly old enough to be able to figure things out. Unfortunately, however, when it comes to the drug war, he remains steadfastly obtuse, just like almost every other right-winger in America.” (04/27/26)
“Pope Leo XIV prayed Monday in the Vatican with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, and vowed to keep working to overcome differences ‘no matter how intractable they may appear,’ in a historic meeting with the first female leader of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion. The encounter between Christianity’s two most famous religious figures would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, given the divisions between their two churches over women’s ordination in general and Mullally’s appointment in particular. Leo acknowledged that ‘new problems’ in their relationship had been added onto ‘historically divisive issues.’ But he nevertheless vowed to continue the tradition of past popes to continue to try to reunite the churches. Anglicans split from Rome in 1534, when English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment.” (04/27/26)
