We Believed The Computer God Could Do Everything

A lot of the big corps/institutions have done this without any actually proven use cases. It has been "install AI and fire people."

Ford has admitted to rehiring hundreds of human workers after its aggressive Al adoption strategy backfired.

The US automaker hired over 350 veteran engineers, referred to internally as "gray beards", over the past three years in order to address mistakes made by automated

This is how you get paid the big bucks:

“Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that that would produce a high-quality product.”

I don't think older workers are automatically better in all fields, but there are some where keeping around the "gray beards" maintains necessary institutional knowledge that can't easily be maintained and transmitted otherwise.  

 

At Least The War Is Over

 

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No Loitering In A Park By The Reflecting Pool

Good representation of the American attitude towards public spaces, generally.

“Loitering is not permitted in this area. Please proceed to a designated location. Thank you for your cooperation,” a surveillance machine tells a small cluster of National Guard members as they patrol the fenced off Reflecting Pool in the rain.

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— amanda moore 🐢 (@noturtlesoup17.bsky.social) June 26, 2026 at 11:38 PM

Bubblers Are Gay And Woke

Amazing.

The nanobubblers had to go.

It was early June, and the Trump administration was planning an event at the Lincoln Memorial on June 12 to promote President Trump’s Ultimate Fighting Championship birthday celebration at the White House.

Dotted around the perimeter of the memorial’s Reflecting Pool were the nanobubblers, the temporary water-purification machines meant to keep the pool clear of algae. Encased in black fencing and powered by large generators, the machines were something of an eyesore.

Before the event, the National Park Service asked Greenwater Services, which won a $1.7 million no-bid contract to install the nanobubblers, to remove them, according to two people briefed on the decision. The people asked for anonymity because they feared retaliation from the administration. The Park Service did not provide a reason for the removal, but it coincided exactly with the promotional event, which drew crowds to the Reflecting Pool. 

At Least The War Is Over

We can declare peace again before the stock market opens.

The United States has renewed its attacks against Iran in response to an incident a day earlier when a cargo vessel was struck by an Iranian drone. On Friday, the US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said it had issued a “powerful response to yesterday’s attack”.

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Starmersim

True courage is telling your "followers" to eat shit.

When your followers treat Israel as the world's only human rights violator and AIPAC as the only evil dark money group, that should be a red flag. So should crazy stuff like abolishing police, seizing property, and opposing Ukraine (none of which is an "affordability agenda"). 4/

— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) June 25, 2026

Taking on the establishment is easy. Beating shit out out of people with no power - that's courage.

Former Congressman Tom just lost his primary with this inspiring message of hope.

Weird he doesn't have many followers.

Better Make A Decoy

He's gonna take it.

No matter who is in the final World Cup match, there could be some awkwardness in New Jersey on July 19 when US President Donald Trump presents the trophy.

Climate Change

Over the years, the reasons for not doing anything about climate change evolved, predictably (and predicted):

• It's not real
• It's real but humans aren't causing it
• It's real and humans are causing it but we can't do anything about it because all the other countries won't do anything
• It's real and humans are causing it but it's too expensive to do anything
• Please, people, think of the oil company executives
• It's real and humans are causing it but, whoopsie, too late, now it's REALLY too expensive to do anything about it
• Whoopsie, just too late now. Off to Mars, with its welcoming climate.

The "other countries won't do anything" prominently featured industrializing China.

Now renewables are, with exceptions, cheaper, certainly for new installations, China is taking the lead both on production and installation, and we are in 70s gas-guzzling is the American way, "kick their ass and steal their gas" (or try to) mode.

It isn't just Trump. All the prominent Sensible Centrists have been pushing against talking about or doing anything about climate change, which I am sure has nothing to do with their various direct and indirect funding.

To the Sensible Centrists, Biden's popularity declined and Harris lost because of anything good Biden did or tried to do.

One thing that is different than 20 years ago is that basically everyone in The Discourse is on the take, at least everyone not on The Left. You don't get $50,000 speaking fees for saying things rich people don't want to hear!

And There's Always The Bezos Post

Okay I'm listening:

Thirteen Democratic House members and candidates announced their support Thursday for a centrist initiative aimed at pushing back against the party’s tilt toward democratic socialism.

And what is this initiative:

Killin is one of the 13 who signed on to the “Promise to America” initiative that commits candidates to a set of centrist principles, including capitalism, fiscal discipline, strong borders and pride in the United States.

Lol. "Principles."

Full list of assholes, proud of themselves.

Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet (Michigan), Susie Lee (Nevada), Maggie Goodlander (New Hampshire), Josh Gottheimer (New Jersey), Laura Gillen (New York), Don Davis (North Carolina), Janelle Bynum (Oregon) and Vicente Gonzalez (Texas) are all supporters. Candidates Marlene Galán-Woods in Arizona, Jamie Ager and Paul Barringer in North Carolina and Bobby Pulido in Texas also signed on.

 

Centrist Emotional Support Journalists

They run to Axios with all their complaints. Makes a handy list of people to primary.

Moderate House Democrats are warning they're prepared for "war" if incoming progressives and democratic socialists try to hijack the House floor to secure ideological concessions.

There is nothing wrong with some intra-caucus conflicts, but these people are acting as if The Big Tent can't accommodate lefty people from lefty districts. 3 of them!

There is a difference between "we disagree" and "we do not accept your legitimacy."

And none of this about ideology, as that term is commonly understood, as much as people want to claim. It's about who is in power and whose friends and families get the goodies.

Some ideologies get more goodies, of course.

At Least The War Is Over

 Ah, well, nevertheless.

The Israeli military has dropped leaflets over a town in southern Lebanon, ordering residents to leave, Lebanese state media reported, in a first such order issued since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.

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Sure Ted

I suppose if Republicans believe he's the candidate who best "owns the libs" he'd have some chance.

Ted Cruz’s not-so-secret White House dreams have gotten JD Vance’s attention and annoyed Trump allies

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It's Gonna Be Great

I have no idea about the State Fair specifically, but generally the lack of any sense that the 250th is a Big Deal is quite surprising, even with Trump in charge.

The Trump administration’s 16-day-long Great American State Fair has begun, offering visitors to the National Mall in Washington, DC, the chance to visit pavilions showcasing every US state and territory.

President Donald Trump first teased the project, a modern World’s Fair, on the campaign trail in 2023. Three years later, the project has come to life, with military flyovers, movie screenings and a giant 110-foot Ferris wheel on the packed schedule. Trump’s stamp will be evident, including a scaled-down replica of Trump’s proposed 250-foot “triumphal arch.”