Stories That Stay With You

Coffee Break: AI’s Reputational Crisis Leads to Popular Backlash and Violence

AI's reputational crisis is triggering a massive backlash against data centers including two attacks on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and another against an I...

Links 4/15/2026

Satyajit Das: Book Essay: Walter Benjamin – Leftist Outsider, Man of Letters

An overview of the acutely observant, enigmatic and quixotic writer and thinker, Walter Benjamin

The War on Iran Is to Isolate It From Its Neighbours and Curb a Rising Sunni Bloc

The War on Iran aims to break Tehran, curb a rising Sunni bloc, and secure Israeli hegemony in the Middle East. But it's not working

Maine Gov. Mills Urged to Sign ‘Nation-Leading’ AI Data Center Moratorium

The Maine legislature wants to hit pause on data center buildouts. The governor's silence says she needs a big push to do the right thing.

Links 4/16/2026

Iran War: Pervasive Misinformation About the (So Far Successful) US Blockade; Trump Keeps Up “Negotiations Soon” Hype; Markets Become Even More Unhinged

Today's Iran war update: the information environment has become hopelessly populated, as reporting on the blockade attests.

Iran War: Trump Expects Hugs From China, Israel Still Bombing Lebanon

Today’s Iran war update: Trump claims he's opened the Strait to Chinese shipping, Israel launches the most massive attack yet on Lebanon, U.S. stock...

Jesus Christ! Xi Jinping Is Hugging Donald Trump on the Sidelines of Three US-Israeli Genocidal Wars

Trump tries muscling Xi. Let me know how that works out.