March 10, 2026

#JOURNALISM:

Posted at 10:05 am by Glenn Reynolds

FORGET “DEMOCRAT OPERATIVES WITH BYLINES,” TODAY’S “JOURNALISTS” ARE BASICALLY ENEMIES OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION… OR IS THAT A DIFFERENCE WITHOUT DISTINCTION?

Posted at 9:52 am by Stephen Green

HMM: OpenAI’s robotics hardware lead resigns following deal with the Department of Defense.

Kalinowski, who previously worked at Meta before leaving to join OpenAI in late 2024, wrote on X that “surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got.” Responding to another post, the former OpenAI exec explained that “the announcement was rushed without the guardrails defined,” adding that it was a “governance concern first and foremost.”

OpenAI confirmed Kalinowski’s resignation and said in a statement to Engadget that the company understands people have “strong views” about these issues and will continue to engage in discussions with relevant parties. The company also explained in the statement that it doesn’t support the issues that Kalinowski brought up.

“We believe our agreement with the Pentagon creates a workable path for responsible national security uses of AI while making clear our red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons,” the OpenAI statement read.

Always, always, always have a human in the loop.

Posted at 9:37 am by Stephen Green

NEXT!

This one is particularly satisfying.

Posted at 9:21 am by Stephen Green

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: The GOP Has an Embarrassment of Riches for 2028. “Unlike their Democratic counterparts, the Republicans have a deep bench that features some serious grown-ups. There are potential candidates who do more than while away the hours basking in the glow of sycophantic social media approval.”

Posted at 9:06 am by Stephen Green

CDR SALAMANDER ON THE DRAGON’S DECLINE: “For over a century, there was one jewel in the special relationship between the United States of America and her mother country, Great Britain. That jewel was the Royal Navy.” “We need to stop pretending we have a Royal Navy we knew in our youth or even that of two decades ago. No, we have something altogether different. Something shrunken. Something weaker. Something that is, in the end, really sad. A symptom of a nation who has lost an enthusiasm for herself or even an understanding of her national interest and led by a ruling class that seems uninterested in stewardship.”

It’s bad for nations to be ruled by a ruling class that fundamentally hates them.

UPDATE: Ouch:

But:

Posted at 9:01 am by Glenn Reynolds

IT’S LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DESPISE THE MEDIA ENOUGH:

Posted at 8:50 am by Stephen Green

CUBA LIBRE? US Close to Surprise Cuba Economic Deal.

Two sources familiar with the administration’s plans told the newspaper that officials are close to announcing a deal with Havana, though the exact timing and details remain unclear.

The agreement could include easing restrictions on Americans traveling to the Cuban capital and expanding economic cooperation between the two nations.

The proposed arrangement represents an unexpected turn in U.S. strategy toward the communist island.

After the U.S. captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and cut off oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba, many analysts believed Washington might escalate pressure on Havana in pursuit of regime change.

Instead, officials appear to be exploring a strategy centered on economic leverage and negotiated concessions.

Wearers of Che t-shirts hurt most.

Posted at 8:35 am by Stephen Green

THE CORBYNIZATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTINUES APACE: Democrats’ swoon for Jew-hater Graham Platner shows antisemites now run their party.

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck . . . well, you know the saying.

Today, if a candidate walks and talks like an obsessive Jew-hater, Democrats swoon.

And in Maine, Graham Platner is making an entire political campaign out of his waddle and quack.

First, we learned that the democratic socialist Platner, who’s competing with Gov. Janet Mills in the Democrats’ US Senate primary, had a large Nazi tattoo — an SS Totenkopf — emblazoned on his chest.

When the revelation set off a public furor, Platner insisted he’d had no idea what the infamous grinning skull symbol meant, and that the only “disgusting” aspect of the controversy was the insinuation he knew otherwise.

Yet Platner has spent the months since proving those “disgusting” doubters right, with a stream of mindless anti-Israel rhetoric and openly antisemitic associations.

And it’s working: Bulwark, Matt Yglesias Embrace Graham ‘Nazi Tattoo’ Platner.

Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, the current frontrunner in the Maine primary, proudly ran around with an SS Death Head tattoo… for 18 years.

For those who don’t know, the SS (Schutzstaffel) was the Nazi unit primarily responsible for the murder of six million Jews.

Platner claims he didn’t know what the tattoo signified. Graham Platner is lying.

Graham Platner also retweeted a Holocaust denier.

Graham Platner also sat down with an antisemitic podcaster, a guy who’s so bad he believes the Jews killed John F. Kennedy.

Through and through, Platner is bad news. But suddenly, the very same people who have spent years attacking President Trump and his supporters as Nazis, racists, and bigots, are willing to embrace the Nazi tattoo guy because they believe the Nazi tattoo guy has the best chance to defeat incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins in Maine.

Here’s Yglesias telling Democrats not to get too “uptight” about a Nazi tattoo:

Less uptight. Maybe even a bit boring, you might say, as the WaPo described Yglesias himself in 2023, while noting how popular he was with the Biden administration: “The boring journey of Matt Yglesias:”

“I don’t always agree with Matt, but he always makes you think with his unique and sharp insights,” says Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff, via email. Klain has liked and shared multiple Yglesias tweets, usually ones that praise White House actions in defiance of wailing liberals or henpecking conservatives. Yglesias, Klain adds, “offers ‘unconventional wisdom:’ He’s not afraid to break with others and put his views out there — a perspective that is hard to find in a dialogue dominated by conventional wisdom.”

* * * * * * * *

But enough serious people take Yglesias seriously to negate the many people who don’t. His Substack was tied for most-followed newsletter by members of the Biden transition team, according to digital strategist Rob Blackie, and Yglesias himself was No. 4 on the list of most-followed journalists. Some of Yglesias’s posts on policy — particularly one on Build Back Better negotiations in February — have reportedly circulated among White House staff.

“There’s a broad sense that he’s a public intellectual, and they take his ideas like they’ll take other ideas,” says a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss outside influences on the administration. “He’s not super influential, but he’s a prominent normie liberal, just like Joe Biden is a normie liberal.”

Or perhaps Matt just wants to explore socialism on a more national level:

 

Posted at 7:45 am by Ed Driscoll

WELL, YEAH: Trump ‘Would Back’ the Killing of Iran’s New Leader if He Doesn’t Agree to US Demands.

On Sunday, Iran’s Assembly of Experts named Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader of Iran. He succeeds his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed last weekend in the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes. Mojtaba’s selection has been characterized as a continuation of the regime that the U.S. has sought to eliminate.

Trump told the New York Post in a Monday interview that he was “not happy” with the pick.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the president “would back” the killing of Mojtaba if he, like his father, refused America’s demands. Chief among them is the end of Iran’s development of nuclear arms.

The report also added that Israel would “likely” carry out the targeted strike if a decision is made to eliminate Mojtaba.

Despite his new — and temporary? — title, I’m not sure Mojtaba actually enjoys any real authority. The IRGC seems to do as they like, no matter who is nominally in charge.

Speaking of temporary: Iran Confirms New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ‘Is Wounded.’

For all anyone knows, “wounded” is just regime propaganda for “dead.”

Posted at 7:33 am by Stephen Green

REMINDER:

Posted at 7:30 am by Glenn Reynolds

FROM HOLLY CHISM:  The Dragon’s in the Details.

Six stories of dragons hiding in today’s world:
A Friend, Indeed–A little girl meets the best friend she could ask for when she finds a dragon sleeping in her wagon.
Tempest–What do you do when you find a dragon in your favorite teacup?
Clowder–These are absolutely not cats, no matter what they look like, and will take offense at your mistake.
Back Yard Birds and Other Things–If the dragon defends your chickens, you invite it to stay.
Houdini–When the pet supplier sends the wrong kind of dragon, the pet store’s got a problem.
Hoard–Not every dragon cares for gold, gems, or cash.

Posted at 7:20 am by Sarah Hoyt

COMMIES LIE:

Posted at 7:17 am by Stephen Green

PAST PERFORMANCE IS NO GUARANTEE OF FUTURE RESULTS:

Posted at 7:14 am by Ed Driscoll

CUBA WAS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH, BUT THIS IS OKAY:

Posted at 7:10 am by Glenn Reynolds

LESSONS OF THE DRONE WAR:

Posted at 7:00 am by Glenn Reynolds