Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“A lot of rich and influential people have suddenly become very worried about artificial intelligence models’ danger to humanity, thanks to several recent episodes in which various AI ‘agents’ carried out hacks of other websites and systems. OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, and xAI’s Elon Musk all now agree that the government needs to help them set up a cartel in violation of antitrust law—er, I mean, ‘pace the frontier’. Yet for odd reasons, the ‘AI safety’ discussion has been focused almost entirely on rather weird-sounding future scenarios. Will artificial intelligence models unleash an economic or social cataclysm? Or cause the extinction of the human race? Or destroy all life on Earth? Or even turn all the matter on the planet into paper clips? Or all the matter in the galaxy? The universe?” (09/23/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/09/23/ai-safety-needs-more-evidence-less-fruitcake-speculation/
Source: Newsday
“Two leading progressive lawmakers, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar, are unveiling legislation Wednesday that would ban artificial superintelligence and create a federal agency to oversee advanced AI as some of the industry’s own leaders urge Congress to impose guardrails on the advancing technology. The bill, provided first to The Associated Press, would also pause advanced AI development until guidelines are implemented while creating the Department of Artificial Intelligence. Multiple employees at leading AI companies are endorsing the bill. … The legislation would permanently prohibit artificial superintelligence, which it defines as a system that exceeds human cognitive ability or has sufficient capabilities to plan and execute the destruction or disempowerment of humanity.” [editor’s note: I’m shocked — shocked! — that people who would benefit from limiting competition in AI are endorsing a bill that would try to limit competition in AI – TLK] (09/23/26)
https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/ai-superintelligence-bernie-sanders-k74948
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Shashank Joshi on Why Russia Won’t Invade NATO—Yet.” (09/23/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/shashank-joshi-3
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“Of course, it is embarrassing for Americans to be represented by such a man as Trump: ignorant, rage-addled, smeared in make-up applied with an artistry that falls somewhere between clown and hooker along with an evolving assortment of hair dyes, doddering, bloated. It is tempting to treat a pathetic figure such as Trump the way Trump would treat such a figure. But what afflicts Trump more than whatever causes his ankle swelling is a curse that might be best understood as a form of moral obesity …. Trump is a man who seems to have suffered the spiritual equivalent of an ischemic stroke when he was about 27 and never to have recovered the full use of his faculties.” (09/23/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/donald-trump-united-nations-iran-midterms/
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Karthik Sankaran
“Sen. Chuck Grassley has endorsed a moratorium thinking it will provide more fuel the states, particularly famers. Not so fast, say experts.” (09/23/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ban-diesel-exports/
Source: SFGate
“Police in Mississippi have arrested a second man in the death of a [b]lack woman found hanging from a tree and have issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect. Jackson police said late Tuesday that they arrested 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. in the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune, whose body was found hanging behind an abandoned home in the city on Aug. 3. Like Fortune and the first man arrested, 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, Lloyd is [b]lack.” [editor’s note: One more brick falls in the wall of claims about “racist lynchings” – SAT] [additional editor’s note: Arrests are not convictions. And falling bricks would explain a lot about whatever goes on in SAT’s head – TLK] (09/23/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/mississippi-police-make-2nd-arrest-in-death-of-22445378.php
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Impeachment, Empty Arsenals and a War Without End.” (09/22/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-impeachment-empty-arsenals-and-a-war-without-end/
Source: The Americn Conservatives
by Jude Russo
“he UN is, if not quite a punchline, at least not an institution with oodles of heft in 2026. Maybe it never was, really; as far as preventing international conflict goes, it was broken to begin with. At the same time, the leader of the free world showing up to the body’s annual General Assembly and going on one about the various wars he has started without so much as a how-do-you-do to the international community is a fresh strain. Most of President Donald Trump’s Tuesday address to the congregation was devoted to self-congratulation about American aggression.” (09/23/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trump-to-world-to-the-victor-belong-the-spoils/
Source: US News & World Report
“The Philippine Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, on Wednesday lowered the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, reducing the threshold prosecutors must clear to secure a guilty verdict. The court ruled that only senator-judges that are able to participate in the trial should be counted when determining the threshold for conviction. Four of the 24 senator-judges have been unable to participate in the proceedings and cannot vote. The constitution requires a two-thirds vote to convict an impeached official, so the decision means prosecutors now need 14 votes instead of 16 to gain a conviction. The decision could have broader implications if more senator-judges become unable to participate in the proceedings.” (09/23/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-09-23/philippine-senate-lowers-threshold-for-conviction-in-vp-dutertes-impeachment-trial
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Superintelligence, the Singularity, and the Singleton | Robert Wright & Nick Bostrom.” (09/22/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69738
