OPEN THREAD: Make it fun.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: Shanghai rocket maker considering developing huge methane-fueled rockets.

MUST NOT BE WORKING FOR THEM POLITICALLY, THEN: Biden: ‘The pandemic is over.’

WELL, THAT’S ENCOURAGING: Researchers Say It’ll Be Impossible to Control a Super-Intelligent AI.

The closest model in mythology is probably a high-level demon, generally thought to lie so persuasively that the only viable strategy is not to talk to them at all.

SOUNDS LIKE THEY NEED A SECURITY EXPERT: Google mistakenly deposits $249,999 into security expert’s account.

OH, PLEASE: UK Restaurant Threatens Other UK Restaurant Over Trademark On ‘Taqueria.’

HE SEEMS LIKE A WEAK CANDIDATE TO ME, AND I’M NOT LOOKING AT HIS INTERNALS: Is something about Fetterman’s polling scaring the beejeebus out of his campaign? “Fetterman’s stroke has seriously hampered his ability to campaign – once he emerged from the basement, it’s apparent he lacks the ability to string a coherent sentence together – while his obfuscation concerning his recovery, the bulge on his neck he’s obviously been trying to hide, and, most importantly, how serious his current state of cognitive impairment is, all are hugely concerning. It’s also brought more scrutiny than perhaps an individual of his few good personality points could withstand – there really is little likable about him. Not to mention the nitpicky – does he own a decent shirt? The guy’s a slob. Dr. Oz, for all the teeth gnashing about his candidacy, and questions about his commitment to a long slog of campaigning, has done something truly admirable and kind of unexpected – the work. The fabulous Salena Zito has trailed Oz across the state: small towns to county fairs to main street storefronts. Watched him connect, meet people in all manner of impromptu settings, and witnessed those folks come away believers.”

DAVID BARON, CALL YOUR OFFICE: Bear wanders onto Colorado State University campus, climbs tree.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: How the 2024 Ford Mustang Stacks Up against the Chevy Camaro.

When I was in Arizona last week I rented a Mustang convertible to drive up into the mountains around Flagstaff. It was nice, but I wasn’t bowled over.

I JUST BOUGHT A NEW PAIR OF THESE: Apple AirPods Pro Wireless Earbuds. #CommissionEarned. I had no idea these can be used as a hearing aid. Has anyone tried this?

I’D PAY A GRAND TO BE 8 YEARS YOUNGER: $1000 of AKG Could Have 8 Years of Antiaging Benefits. I think I’ll wait for further research though. At least for 8 years.

YOU JUST NEED A BIG UMBRELLA: Refreezing Earth’s poles feasible and cheap, new study finds.

HMM: Scientists believe Mars rock samples contain organic matter.

Related: Why I Hope There’s No Life on Mars.

THIS IS CNN: ‘They enriched us.’ Migrants’ 44-hour visit leaves indelible mark on Martha’s Vineyard.

CULTURE OF CORRUPTION: Trump/Russia investigator hid ties to Russian billionaire. “If there is one thing you can count on with The Swamp it’s that every time they accuse a Republican of doing something, they themselves are likely to be guilty of that very thing themselves. That may be the case with Charles McGonigal, the former head of counterintelligence at the FBI field office in New York City. In an exclusive report by Military and Defense Insider it was revealed that McGonigal appears to be under grand jury investigation for–get ready–improper ties to Russia.”

NEVER RUN OUT OF ICE: Self-Cleaning Ice Machine. #CommissionEarned

IT’S ALWAYS ILLEGITIMATE IF THE LEFT LOSES: Supreme Court ‘founded to defend white supremacy,’ should be abolished: race scholar. Claims Justice Barrett was ‘illegitimately appointed.’

Calling a legitimate appointment illegitimate? I dub Prof. Claudia Garcia-Rojas an appointment denier.

A SMALL MEASURE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: “Fordham University has imposed disciplinary sanctions on three students in relation to last year’s eviction of conservative students from a coffee shop for wearing MAGA gear.”

REPORT FROM THE BLUE ZONES: Tourist shot in back after refusing robber on NYC street, police say. “Robbery and other major crimes have increased by about 40% in the city recently, NYPD data show.”

Related: Man beaten with bat, critically hurt in NYC subway station: cops.

REPORT FROM THE BLUE ZONES: WATCH: Ax-wielding man threatens patrons in NYC McDonald’s.

UNEXPECTEDLY! Demand for private security is booming in Minneapolis.

In June 2020, the Minneapolis city council famously vowed to defund the police department. Though their plans fell through, the fully funded MPD is nonetheless struggling. More than 250 officers have resigned or retired since then. Earlier this year, the Minneapolis supreme court ruled that the city has a duty to staff the MPD with a minimum of 731 sworn officers, but the department is at least 100 officers short of that target. Meantime, crime has spiked, with 96 homicides in 2021—doubling the number in 2019 and tying a 1995 record.

Private security has stepped into the breach. The number of licenses approved for new private providers rose from 14 in 2019 to 27 in 2021, according to data from Minnesota’s Board of Private Detective and Protective Agent Services. Demand is exploding as businesses increasingly opt for private guards over off-duty cops.

Christopher Forest started his private security firm, Unparalleled Security, after the rioting of 2020. Today, he has 175 employees. Forest did not set out to start a private security firm, having previously worked as CEO of Minnesota’s largest valet-parking company. But after June 2020, his clients began approaching him with requests for security guards. These clients had once hired off-duty police officers for their security needs, but the MPD’s image after the George Floyd killing made that more difficult.

“I think it just had to do with the temperature in the room when you have a police officer in a venue versus an unarmed security guard,” Forest says.

Michael MacDonald, who runs a smaller private security firm called JomsVikings Protection and Security, agrees. “Stores do not want cops out in front because of the negative attention it can bring to their facilities,” says MacDonald. His license to operate was issued July 31, 2020. Today, he has 18 full-time and ten part-time employees.

High crime means that new clients, such as movie theaters, are entering the market for private security, says Richard Hodson, the chairman of Minnesota’s Board of Private Detective and Protective Agent Services. Hodson says he knows of a retired police officer who recently got a license to run his own private security firm but has had to turn down contracts because he cannot hire enough guards to staff them. Demand exceeds supply.

Minneapolis morphed into Detroit so slowly quickly, I hardly even noticed:

SHOCKER: Biden Climate Appointee Studied at CCP-Controlled University Linked to Chinese Military. “Will Hild, the executive director of Consumers’ Research, expressed concerns over Chen, citing her education at ‘CCP training grounds.’ He said her appointment is part of Biden’s effort to establish controversial ‘environmental, social, and governance’ policies at federal agencies. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.”

DEAL OF THE DAY: 12A Car Battery Charger. #CommissionEarned

BILL MAHER ON WOKENESS: “Being woke is like a magic moral time machine where you judge everybody against what you would have done in 1066 and you always win.”

TEETHING PROBLEMS: Might want to wait a bit on that iPhone 14.