Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz

“The issue of AI safety does not appear to me to be an instance of a problem where the answer is obvious but hard-to-execute. AI safety seems like a values problem, to me. And those disagreements are always the thorniest. There is no way to develop totally safe AI. When you build a bridge or road, you build it knowing that someone is going to die on it. Probably a lot of someones. But you build it anyway, because you think the benefit is worth the cost. We have to think of AI this way. The people building AI are thinking of it this way. The goal cannot be ‘no one dies.’ The goal has to be, ‘Here’s who can die and under what circumstances, and how often, and with what recompense, and for what benefit.'” (03/19/26)

https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/no-good-options-for-ai-safety

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Harrison Mann

“President Donald Trump is reportedly considering seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, which he calls Iran’s ‘crown jewel’ because it houses a terminal that processes about 90% of Iran’s oil exports. After the U.S. bombed Kharg last week but spared its oil facilities, leading Iran hawks urged Trump to finish the job. ‘Mr. President: Take Kharg Island [and] this war is over!’ exhorted Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), for his part, floated the idea that seizing the island is the perfect mission for the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) now sailing toward the region. So why is capturing this once-obscure island suddenly on the tip of every Iran hawk’s tongue? And what happens if they get their way?” (03/19/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/kharg-island-iran/

Source: CounterPunch
by Megan Russell

“Last week, we watched a U.S.-made Tomahawk missile murder more than 160+ Iranian school children. We watched in horror, helpless to stop the incoming massacres as the U.S. and Israel carpet-bombed Iran, then Lebanon, displacing millions of people from their homes. The pure, unrelenting terror continues to unfold. We are shocked and devastated, but we are also enraged — because for every bomb the U.S. and Israel drop, a bunch of men in cushy offices profit off all the death.” (03/19/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/19/the-u-s-bombs-kids-so-palmer-luckey-can-have-nice-things/

Source: JFK Facts
by Jefferson Morley

“What do we know now that we didn’t know a year ago?” (03/19/26)

https://jfkfacts.substack.com/p/one-year-after-trumps-order-eight

Source: Cobden Centre
by Dr. Frank Shostak

“Some commentators are of the view that one cannot trust the market economy, which is seen as inherently unstable. If left free, the market economy could lead to self-destruction. Hence there is the need for the government and the central bank to manage the economy. It is held in this framework of thinking, that successful management could be achieved by influencing overall expenditure. In this way of thinking it is expenditure that generates income. An expenditure by one individual becomes the income of another individual. … Contrary to popular thinking, the key for economic growth is not an increase in demand but an increase in savings.” (03/19/26)

https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/03/can-the-market-economy-be-trusted/

Source: Los Angeles Times
by Moti Mizrahi

“We talk to our dogs as if they understand us, curse our laptops when they freeze and even name our cars. So, when an AI system produces fluent, conversational language, our brains instinctively fill in the rest and assign to it intention, understanding and even emotion. Tech companies know this. The more ‘person-like’ a chatbot appears, the more likely we are to treat it as a confidant, a partner or an authority rather than what it actually is, which is a statistical prediction engine. But this habit of seeing minds where none exist comes with real social and political consequences. If we want a future in which we can use AI wisely and trust it when appropriate, we need to break our reflex to treat it like a person.” (03/19/26)

https://archive.is/F86F4