Mark Sumner
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Articles by Mark Sumner
Five Levels Of AI Doom For Non-AI Doomers
Now that the leadership of America’s largest AI companies have united in begging the government to stop them, please stop them, before they murder the world, popular opinion seems to have swiftly coalesced around one position: AI is a paper tiger. A paper tiger without any paper. Laughing at the AI threat has become the only acceptable position at the cool kids table. Why people would doubt a bunch of lying liars who do nothing but lie is something of a mystery. (No. Seriously.
Terrorists Attacked. America Surrendered.
Thirty years ago, a small group of terrorists, backed by some of the same men America had once used to combat the USSR, identified a potential weakness in the transportation system. Over the next five years, they planned to exploit this weakness, eventually spending around $400,000 to train the necessary agents and put them in place. Then they killed 2,977 people and inflicted over $1 trillion in damage. In the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, America took largely sensible actions.
How Did Tulsi Gabbard Damage National Security? And Why Is Trump Protecting Her?
It's been eight months since an intelligence official came forward with serious allegations against Tulsi Gabbard. That seems like a very long time to sit on something that reportedly represents a "grave threat" to the nation. But that report has literally been locked away where no one can see it. Because Trump needs Gabbard. She’s heading the operation to discredit the midterm elections. Finding the most terrible, noxious, execrable official in the Donald Trump White House is a difficult challenge.
Tulsi Gabbard did something terrible. Trump is saving her so she can do something worse.
It's been eight months since an intelligence official came forward with serious allegations against Tulsi Gabbard. That seems like a very long time to sit on something that reportedly represents a "grave threat" to the nation. But that report has literally been locked away where no one can see it. Because Trump needs Gabbard. She’s heading the operation to discredit the midterm elections. Finding the most terrible, noxious, execrable official in the Donald Trump White House is a difficult challenge.
Abolish ICE. Eliminate DHS. An Agenda For 2026
Weeks after the attacks of 9/11, Congress rushed to pass the USA Patriot Act. A few months later, with military forces already fighting in Afghanistan, Congress added the Homeland Security Act. There is a direct path between these legislative acts and bodies on the ground in Minneapolis. These are twin acts of cowardice, born of fear and confusion and championed by men who saw their chance to replace freedom with control. They are disaster fascism incarnate.
A Supreme Court ruling confirms that ICE agent Jonathan Ross can be charged with murder in Minnesota
Good's tragedy—a young mother killed for no reason after dropping off her 6-year-old at school—is not a solitary event. Since Trump reentered the White House and began his immigrant pogrom, ICE agents have fired their weapons at civilians at least 16 times. As The Trace notes: At least 15 other civilians have been held at gunpoint. In addition, ICE has routinely brutalized both protestors and bystanders.
The Business Strategies That Make Walmart A Ghoul And Costco A Mensch
Superficially, Walmart Inc. and Costco Wholesale are very similar. Both are large, international, for-profit corporations whose primary activity centers around selling discounted goods to the public from enormous ”big box” stores that resemble warehouses. But these companies achieve success through radically different business philosophies.
Keeping Grandpa Snoozy Happy With Participation Prizes
Trump's team doesn't need an autopen. They know Trump will reliably plant his pubic signature on anything they put in front of him without bothering to read it. Which is good, because it's increasingly difficult to keep Trump awake, even when people are busy kissing his ass. Even with fewer and shorter days in the office, Trump seems to be worn out. His public appearances are increasingly rare, and he has sometimes disappeared from view long enough to make many Americans ... hopeful.
Your Sexy AI Girlfriend Is Really An Underpaid Guy In Kenya
One of the first steps in an effort to organize tech workers in Africa and South America is finding out exactly what those workers do for massive international firms. The answer turns out to be: Pretend to be sexy robot ladies and teach supposedly all-powerful AIs how to read. Content moderation for Facebook? A lot of that work falls on women in Nairobi who frequently come face-to-face with violent, racist, sexist posts that leave lasting emotional scars.
Your sexy AI girlfriend is really an underpaid guy in Kenya
One of the first steps in an effort to organize workers in Africa and South America is finding out exactly what those workers do for massive international tech firms. The answer turns out to be: Pretend to be sexy robot ladies and teach supposedly all-powerful AIs how to read. Content moderation for Facebook? A lot of that work falls on women in Nairobi who frequently come face-to-face with violent, racist, sexist posts that leave lasting emotional scars.
'Vampire Billionaire' Peter Thiel Says Pope Leo May Be The Antichrist
Shortly after American-born Robert Prevost was elected Pope, J.D. Vance and his wife stopped in to visit with the new pontiff. In addition to a Chicago Bears shirt, Vance brought the American Pope two books by St. Augustine. This gift represented a bond between the two men: Vance chose St. Augustine as his patron saint when he converted to Catholicism, and the Pope was previously head of the worldwide Augustinian order.
Vampire Billionaire Attacks Pope
Shortly after American-born Robert Prevost was elected Pope, J.D. Vance and his wife stopped in to visit with the new pontiff. In addition to a Chicago Bears shirt, Vance brought the American Pope two books by St. Augustine. This gift represented a bond between the two men: Vance chose St. Augustine as his patron saint when he converted to Catholicism, and the Pope was previously head of the worldwide Augustinian order.
America's greatest mass murderer is only getting started
Robert Kennedy Jr. doesn't know shit about health. Wait. That's not quite right. Robert Kennedy Jr. knows only shit about health. Everything he says, every action he takes, every new restriction he inflicts on the American people, actively makes things worse. In just 48 hours this week, came word that Kennedy intends to outlaw the COVID-19 vaccine, threaten doctors who try to get around new guidelines limiting childhood vaccines, and take personal control of who can and can not have Medicaid.
Donald Trump wants to destroy the American dream
This article originally appeared at The Journal of Uncharted Blue. On May 29, the Department of Labor announced a “phased pause” of Job Corps. The 62-year-old program was launched under President Kennedy and survived attempts to kill it under Nixon, Reagan, and the first Trump administration. It has long enjoyed broad bipartisan support, but that's over now. The motive behind its destruction is the core of what Trump wants for America. Job Corps helps young working-class people improve their lives.
The Joe Rogan of the Left
In the never-ending quest to explain their utter failure at getting a message through to the public, Democratic politicians and white-shoe consultants have seized on one particular idea. They need a "Joe Rogan Of The Left" — a social media influencer who can crack the code and convince America's youths that Chuck Schumer is cool. Or swell. Or a skibidi toilet ... if that's a good thing. I'm not going to be that guy.
Democrats Don't Need To Apologize. They Need To Attack.
As I'm writing this, CNN commentator Van Jones and CNN host Jake Tapper are nodding sagely to each other, calling on Democrats to apologize for a "crime against the Republic." As charter members of the Joe Biden-so-old chorus, Jones and Tapper are adamant that every member of the Democratic Party needs to get on their knees, rend their clothing, and above all, acknowledge just how right Tapper & Co. were in being the first to board U.S.S. Backstab.
Democrats are losing the most important fight in history
The purpose of every protest, every call, every letter, every blog post, and every skeet being made in opposition to Donald Trump is the same: Show that what Trump is doing isn’t just wrong, it's also unpopular. Because popularity, like it or not, is important. Establishing the popularity of a position is key to political power. Mass protests alone may not be enough to move the needle, but that needle never moves without mass protests. And the calls. And the letters. It takes it all.
American economic carnage
At this moment, the United States is in the middle of a concerted financial meltdown driven entirely by the destructive policies of Donald Trump. Trump's massive tariffs and incoherent actions are threatening a global recessionâif not depression. But they have already resulted in enormous, irreprabable harm to the United States. That's not a threat. It's a done deal.
Jeff Bezos has billions of reasons to grovel
Jeff Bezos is currently the third richest person on Earth with a net wealth over $220 billion. In addition to being an absolutely obscene number, this seems like a very good reason Bezos should not have to get on his knees in front of anyone. Except there he is, putting a "libertarian" pro-Trump stamp on The Washington Post so blatant that editors are heading for the exits.
Elon Musk Is A Sophon
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal published a detailed look at what Elon Musk and his DOGE bags have sliced from federal spending. As might be expected from a Rubert Murdoch propaganda outlet, the results were couched under the title "DOGE Claims It Has Saved Billions. See Where." However, no massaging of the headlines could make the truth of these cuts look good.
Ukraine Update: Trump And Putin Negotiate The Destruction Of The West
Since the election—and especially since the inauguration—many people have been waiting for the moment Donald Trump begins arguing with Elon Musk. Those people are likely to be waiting a long time. Yes, Musk has assumed most of the authority of the White House. Yes, he's running on his own agenda, closing down whole departments and parking his anklebiter corps in one agency after another. He's assumed power beyond that legally available to the entire executive branch.
This Is What A Coup Looks Like
In films—and too often in history—a coup d'état comes accompanied by the sound of explosions and gunfire. Military forces make their way through a capital city. The bearded colonel at the head of some new junta or rebel faction announces that he's now in charge. But it's not the only variety of coup. A coup can also come in the form of a "putsch," where the followers of a failed politician attempt to impose their candidate on the nation by force.
Media capture is no joke
For the past week, Elon Musk has repeatedly commented about buying MSNBC. At the same time, Musk accused the news outlet of peddling "puerile propaganda" and derided MSNBC's ratings, which have—as might be expected—dropped since the election. The result has been a string of comments on Twitter and Fox News in which Trump supporters chortle over the thought of replacing Rachel Maddow with Joe Rogan and exult in the distress they believe Musk's comments must be generating on the left.
Look up! SpaceX may be NASA's greatest achievement
Several years ago, my wife took her sixth-grade science class to Huntsville, Alabama for a week-long stay at Space Camp. Two giant bus loads of kids, five hundred miles from home, delivered the expected number of kids getting sick, girls sneaking into the boy's dorms, boys sneaking into the girl's dorms, and parents calling to complain that little Jonnie had not checked in.
Republicans are on the cusp of making the awful climate news worse. But there's still hope
"Greenhouse gas pollution at these levels will guarantee a human and economic trainwreck for every country, without exception." â Climate Defiance, upon hearing the recent news that atmospheric concentrations of all three major greenhouse gases hit records in 2023 âPeople shouldnât think the game is over because we passed 1.5 degrees. The game is never over.ââAndrew Dessler, director of Texas A&M Universityâs Texas Center for Climate Studies.
If only Democrats would stop talking and start hating
There is no shortage of post-election analyses. Pundits, politicians, and armchair tacticians continue to trot out their hot takes on how Democrats can come in out of the marginal wilderness and recapture the hearts and minds of working-class Americans.
Ukraine Update: The Next Big Battle Carries Real Consequences
In the last week, Russian forces moved around the town of Selydove, south of the strategically important city of Povrosk. Ukrainian forces caught in a narrowing strip of land under attack from three directions were forced to withdraw. As of Monday, Russia has occupied much of Selydove. Russia forces now control the critical crossroads 13 kilometers south of the Pokrovsk. At Krasnyi Yar, they are only 8 kilometers east of the city.
Bezos and Musk: It's all about space
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Your next drive: TELO MT1
"Your next drive" is a series introducing upcoming electric vehicles. From sedans and hatchbacks to SUVs, pickups, and vehicles that don't fit well into any existing category, a surprising number of genuinely ground-breaking products are heading for market from both startups and existing manufacturers. This article is not sponsored or paid for by any brand, company, or individual. All opinions expressed are our own, and we have not received any compensation for this content.
Ukraine Update: North Korean troops are just another item up for sale
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a simple explanation for why North Korea is providing troops to assist in Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. "I think it's because of the money," said Zelenskyy. "I think North Korea is very poor, so they will send their people to the front." According to South Korean intelligence, dictator Kim Jong-un has dispatched 12,000 North Korean soldiers to provide more fodder for Putin's war.
Ukraine Update: North Korean troops are just another purchase
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a simple explanation for why North Korea is providing troops to assist in Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. "I think it's because of the money," said Zelenskyy. "I think North Korea is very poor, so they will send their people to the front." According to South Korean intelligence, dictator Kim Jong-un has dispatched 12,000 North Korean soldiers to provide more fodder for Putin's war.
On Univision, ordinary citizens stepped in for cowardly journalists
If anything has defined the 2024 election cycle, it's the disheartening failure of journalists across mass media. Some of that failure has come in the form of "sane washing" Donald Trump's statements to make it seem that his rallies and interviews contained coherent information. More often it's come through simple omission—though ignoring what Trump said when no level of editing could sift a rational thought from his nightly stream of gibberish.
Ukraine Update: The Axis is playing for keeps. The Allies are still playing
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was in China this week, meeting with Chinese leaders to confirm the continued military partnership between Moscow and Beijing. While Belosov was in Beijing, Russian ships joined the Chinese fleet for bilateral naval exercises in the Pacific. On a very different front, Russian and Chinese hackers are now cooperating in cyber-terrorism aimed at "espionage, destruction, or influence" in Western countries.
Ukraine update: The end of Pax Americana will cost more than anyone can imagine
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was in China this week, meeting with Chinese leaders to confirm the continued military partnership between Moscow and Beijing. While Belosov was in Beijing, Russian ships joined the Chinese fleet for bilateral naval exercises in the Pacific. On a very different front, Russian and Chinese hackers are now cooperating in cyber-terrorism aimed at "espionage, destruction, or influence" in Western countries.
Trump's 'respectable' voters lie about his plans (and crimes) to dodge accountability for supporting those things
There's a New York Times article getting a lot of attention today: "The Trump Voters Who Don't Believe Trump" is the headline, and the meat of the story consists of quotes from Normal Republican Voters who reject the notion that the coup-attempting Donald Trump will do any of the scary things he promises to do in his campaign speeches. He's just fibbing, supposedly. For funsies.
Look Up! November Could Decide The Future ... And Not At The Polls
The next few weeks will bring a series of events whose effect will linger not just over the next four years, but over decades—even centuries. The outcome won't be decided at the polls, but on the coast of Florida and Texas. And in space. After many delays, technical and regulatory, this November could see an amazing pair of rocket launches that could have as much to say about our future as the election.
Toxic geysers, zombie wells, and earthquakes: The real cost of cheap gas
A 100’ geyser is erupting in Texas. The cause isn’t some deeply buried supervolcano. It doesn’t signal some arcane geologic process. However, it is connected to a recent series of earthquakes. Those quakes and the unexpected geyser have the same cause: injection of wastewater left over from fracking. The water spraying from the geyser isn't clean. It's laced with oil, gas, and the chemicals used when oil companies pump water into the ground to hydraulically fracture (frack) layers of sedimentary rock.
Ukraine Update: Time is running out to win the war for the future
The conflict that began with Vladimir Putin's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has always been a war that was bound to define the future of Ukraine, Europe, NATO, and to a large degree, world stability. That's still true. But now, it's also about the future of war. Every war.
Ukraine Update: Time is running out to win the war for the future
The conflict that began with Vladimir Putin's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has always been a war that was bound to define the future of Ukraine, Europe, NATO, and to a large degree, world stability. That's still true. But now, it's also about the future of war. Every war.
Go and see the snows of Earth. While you can
Ernest Hemingwayâs 1938 story âThe Snows of Kilimanjaroâ is more fever dream than travelogue. The titular mountain appears only in the final moments of a dying manâs delusions. But the snows in that story were very real at the time. Images from the early 20th century show the 19,341 peak crowned by a network of glaciers that sprawled far down its flanks. The huge mountain, just three degrees from the equator, was majestically crowned in sparkling ice.
Stupid AI Is Still Smart Enough To Kill Us
When arguing over the perceived threats and promises of artificial intelligence, the concerns and the hopes are generally directed at the near future. Perhaps AI will crack the design for inexpensive fusion reactors, ushering in a golden age of unlimited clean energy. Perhaps it will develop into something so malignant that the post-apocalyptic world of “The Terminator” seems like Candy Land. But we don’t need to peer into the mists to divine where things are going.
The newest retail anti-innovation: We'll show you our products, but good luck buying them
We've talked about this before, but I'm really not certain why retail store executives are so insistent on making the basic experience of "shopping" into a consumer-abusing hellscape. Large, ominously-shaped security and cleaning robots wandering the aisles. Shopping carts with video screens flashing advertisements in your face; digital price tags on the shelves so that the back office can update prices on the fly when weather conditions suggest an opportunity for a bit of light gouging.
120 people are dead because of Hurricane Helene, Jim Inhofe, and me
For over a decade, I was an exploration geologist. I traveled all over the United States, from Appalachia to Alaska, drilling holes into the ground, making maps, performing analyses, and developing plans. Much of the work took place in an area of Wyoming and Montana called the Powder River Basin. Some of it led directly to North AntelopeāRochelle, the largest coal mine in the world. At its peak, that single mine produced over 110 million tons of coal a year.
Ukraine update: Zelenskyy, Putin, Pokrovsk, and Kursk
Since the last update in June, it seems that a few things have happened. Russia launched an assault toward the city of Pokrovsk that threatens Ukraine’s ability to defend a large portion of Donetsk. Ukraine crossed the border into Russia, gaining control over 1,000 square kilometers of the Kursk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reorganized important sectors of the Ukrainian government and fought off growing political opposition.
Ukraine Update: Pokrovsk, Kursk, Putin, Zelenskyy
Since the last update in June, it seems that a few things have happened. Russia launched an assault toward the city of Pokrovsk that threatens Ukraine’s ability to defend a large portion of Donetsk. Ukraine crossed the border into Russia, gaining control over 1,000 square kilometers of the Kursk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reorganized important sectors of the Ukrainian government and fought off growing political opposition.
Inside the creepy push to make JD Vance America's 'Christian Prince'
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance is a jerk. The Ohio senator is a feckless liar and inveterate blowhard whose squinty-eyed smirk only flashes after he’s delivered a line that he thinks will cause someone pain. There’s a very good reason why Vance is the most disliked figure on either party’s ticket this election year: He’s an unmitigated asshole. But there’s a group of white men who believe that he may be something more.
Trump threatens to blame Jews if he loses the election
According to Donald Trump’s campaign schedule, he was slated to give a speech on antisemitism on Thursday, in Washington, D.C. The schedule was almost right. Because what Trump delivered were instead two speeches packed with antisemitism, including a warning that he would hold Jewish voters liable if he failed to win in November.
Matt Gaetz attended sex party with minor, federal court filing alleges
Friday, Sep. 20, 2024 Friday, September 20, 2024 at 3:30:04p GMT Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida speaks to media outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, June 11. Republican Sex Scandal Week continues as a new court filing details events related to the ongoing sex trafficking allegations surrounding Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Why Trump's wild new scheme to win an extra electoral vote won't work
In Nebraska on Tuesday, two dozen state senators met with Gov. Jim Pillen as part of what may be the cycle’s most unlikely scheme to save Donald Trump. The plot drew in Trump’s most sycophantic sycophant, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and is part of a national effort to steal away just one potential electoral vote from Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Unlike most states, Nebraska doesn’t award all its electoral votes to the candidate who takes the most votes in the state.
Even Mitch McConnell thinks Johnson’s march to a shutdown is ‘stupid’
On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned that it would be “politically beyond stupid” for Republicans in the House to send the nation careening toward a government shutdown just one month before a national election. One day later, House Republicans seemed to treat this as a dare. They went beyond—by a big margin. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson finally got a continuing resolution to the floor on Wednesday evening to keep the government funded beyond the end of the month.
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