Extra, Extra
Whatever Smotes Your Boat: “This latest strike appears to be the 10th carried out by the Trump administration against alleged drug trafficking boats over the past several weeks, which have now led to more than 40 deaths.” New U.S. strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat kills 6 on board. If Congress lets the White House do this with no oversight, what else might they be cool with? US is sending an aircraft carrier to Latin America in major escalation of military buildup.
+ Cool Aid: Inflation numbers (to the extent we can really trust them during a government closure) came in a little cooler than expected. That means the expected rate cut is even more expected. That means the market is soaring.
+ Half Cocked: Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time. (Well, I guess that means they’re a lot more accurate than humans…)
+ Lucky He Didn’t Take a Speed Boat: “The accused Chinese drug boss was this close to the perfect getaway. In July, Zhi Dong Zhang escaped from house arrest in Mexico, where he was set to be extradited to the U.S. on drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges. The Justice Department accuses him of being the most important link between Chinese chemical producers and the Mexican cartels that make fentanyl. He then hopped onto a private jet to Cuba and boarded a flight to Russia, beyond the reach of U.S. and Mexican prosecutors.” Most-Wanted Fentanyl Producer Is Extradited to the U.S. After Brazen Escape.
+ Staked Alaska: NYT (Gift Article): Trump Opens Pristine Alaska Wilderness to Drilling in Long-Running Feud. “The Interior Department also said it would allow a contentious road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Alaska.”
+ All That And a Bag of Chips: “Taki Allen was sitting with friends on Monday night outside Kenwood high school in Baltimore and eating a snack when police officers with guns approached him. ‘At first, I didn’t know where they were going until they started walking toward me with guns, talking about, ‘Get on the ground,’ and I was like, ‘What?'” US student handcuffed after AI system apparently mistook bag of Doritos for gun. (Maybe they just thought Dorito sounded like the name of someone here illegally?)
