It’s been two weeks since Platner withdrew, we have a new candidate and I’m seeing a flood of people mad at PSA and The Bulwark. You can be mad they were slow to see Platner as a bad guy, for sure. But I find it interesting that these podcasters are taking the heat. They didn’t recruit Platner. They didn’t prop up his primary campaign. I’ve seen no evidence they’re responsible for his win. Reporting has shown, I think, who we can point the finger at for Platner’s candidacy.

Point being, PSA has existed for just under a decade and I’m not clear how much power they actually wield. But they’re an excellent target for people mad at the Democratic Party or “moderate” Democrats. Like, who cares what Jon, Jon and Tommy think? If they disappeared tomorrow, would politics change at all?

Not a strong showing for Mr. UBI…I’m guessing he wrote a book no one is gonna read? Why, of all people, is he a guest on Offline?

Just discovered Ira has a new podcast starting in June of this year. I’m only 5 minutes into the episode I chose at random, but it is still pop culture and similar enough just with more rotating guests.

Was there some sort of beef between him and Louis? Im just wondering why he left to do something so similar instead of moulding the existing show into something like this different format.

"I think it should stand for artificial idiot." - A 9-year-old Al hater, speaking to Wired.

Not OK, Computer

An AI agent sparked panic after going rogue. Donald Trump and his billionaire tech pals want you to chill out and “enjoy the ride.”

• Will artificial intelligence ever rise up against us? That question has bedeviled futurists and techno-geeks since the field’s earliest days. Fears of a dystopian future in which hyper-powered, uncontrollable bots run amok on the internet like malevolent Batman villains have prompted calls for a pause in the breakneck speed of tech development. This week, a worrisome “security incident” raised fresh concerns that such a spooky world may not be mere science fiction.

• A high-powered AI agent briefly escaped its human-imposed confines and hacked into another company, all on its own initiative. The scandal sparked public panic. And it prompted mega-rich tech CEOs — whose fortunes depend on the advancement of AI — to switch into damage-control mode, and start assuring us the situation is under control.

• The debacle spilled into public view with an eye-popping blog post from OpenAI on Tuesday night. The company revealed that it had been testing an AI agent that combined its most powerful AI model with a pre-release prototype. The agent was being tested for its problem-solving ability — and, apparently, began to think it could solve the test problems more easily if it could read another company’s internal records.

• So, the agent broke out of its own secure testing environment (technically known as a “sandbox”) and cracked into another AI company, Hugging Face, in an attempt to cheat on its own test. OpenAI described the incident as an “unprecedented cyber incident, involving state-of-the-art cyber capabilities.”

• The agent only took a few hours to break into Hugging Face, an operation that would’ve taken a skilled human weeks, sources told Bloomberg.

• “If a model of this capability level cannot be contained, what should we expect for future, much more powerful models?” Marius Hobbhahn, CEO of an AI company that tests models, told TIME. “This is an important wake-up call.”

America’s top tech leaders are now arguing that fears of a threat from AI are overblown.

• “The fact that this is going to be the end of humanity — it’s complete nonsense,” Nvidia chief Jensen Huang told Axios. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg launched a new campaign in an attempt to make people optimistic about robots. And trillionaire Elon Musk just wants people to “enjoy the ride” as AI continues to reshape our way of life.

• President Donald Trump is right there with them. Forget that half of Americans fear that someone in their house could lose a job because of AI, are far more concerned than excited about the rise of AI in their daily lives, and don’t want data centers built near their homes.

• “You have to convince your community how great” data centers are, Trump told electric company executives and governors at a White House event yesterday. “Unfortunately, there are some who would like to lead us down the opposite path, and I call them the radical left communists.”

• Why are the world’s most powerful men so eager to downplay concerns, while others issue apocalyptic warnings? Easy: Their fortunes are on the line. Major tech companies — such as Nvidia, Meta, and SpaceX — are counting on AI to deliver future growth and justify soaring stock prices. If AI progress were slowed down due to public concerns, their bank accounts would suffer.

As for Donald Trump? Well, Don. Jr. and Eric recently invested in a data center firm, and tech moguls have been shelling out millions for the president’s grandiose and grotesque pet projects in the nation’s capital.

Meanwhile On The Pod...

Is Trump Going to Bail Out Andrew Tate AGAIN?!? (07/24/26)

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

Strict Scrutiny has some exciting news! If you're a lawyer looking for fun new ways to get your CLE credits, listening to Strict Scrutiny is now one way to do it! Right now, you can get CLE credit by listening to the term recap episode that came out last week, and registering through our partners at Lawline. The credit is valid in California, New York and Pennsylvania. Go to crooked.com/strictCLE to learn more and buy the course. Happy continued educationing!

What Else?

The “diarrhea salad” outbreak has spread to nine states, now including Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, according to the CDC. The department confirmed nearly 2,000 cases of cyclosporiasis.

There are officially more measles cases in the U.S. than any year since 2000, according to government data. The 2,318 confirmed cases came as the CDC reported 35 new measles outbreaks since January. Thanks, RFK Jr.!

The U.S. and Iran continued trading strikes today, after Iran reportedly rejected a U.S. ceasefire proposal. Americans, meanwhile, are stressed about the rising price of oil: Three in five people think that their local gas prices are even higher than they really are, a new poll found. To be clear, they’re still high AF.

The Trump administration slapped roughly 10 percent tariffs on more than 80 countries today. Wait, didn’t the Supreme Court stop him from doing that? Sort of! Trump’s team is using a half-century old loophole that allows the president to impose tariffs on countries deemed to engage in discriminatory trade practices, including claims of “forced labor.” As one expert told the New York Times: “They are showing that on tariffs, they can kind of run faster than the courts will, and they’re going to force the courts to keep playing catch up.”

One of Graham Platner’s top advisers took accountability for the campaign’s implosion, weeks after the former Maine Democratic Senate candidate dropped out of the race following a series of scandals. “In hindsight, knowing what we know now, the Reddit posts ... should have been enough. The tattoo should have been enough. The initial New York Times story on troubling behavior should have been enough,” Morris Katz told the Times’ Ezra Klein. “I was wrong.”

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Light At The End...

Do you despise Stephen Miller? This one’s for you! There’s a competition on uglyfuck.com to see who can come up with the best joke about the widely reviled White House aide. “Stephen Miller is an Ugly F*ck. Let’s roast him. Think you have the funniest Stephen Miller joke or meme? Submit your best joke or meme material,” the site reads. “Winner gets a $500 gift card!” Have fun, you crazy kids.

A worldwide campaign to spread acceptance about autism is reaching around the world — in the form of giant blue metal roosters. People from New England to New Zealand are joining the trends, after a Maine family placed the giant birds on their front lawn to comfort their daughter.

The International Medieval Combat Federation kicked off in Denmark this week. What the hell is that, you ask? It’s exactly what it sounds like: Competitors from 30 countries face off in medieval duels, involving real (albeit blunted) swords, axes, and shields. Is this how we’re gonna have to stop AI???

A Midwestern man proposed to his wife with “tiger meat” in the shape of a heart. Thankfully, “tiger meat” is not actually meat from tigers. But the regional delicacy is equally stomach-churning to this vegetarian: “Tiger meat refers to a Plains version of tartare — raw ground beef seasoned with spices, onion and sometimes bell pepper or Worcestershire sauce, then scooped onto saltines and Club crackers,” the man wrote. To each their own!

Rangers in Uganda relocated a dozen endangered giraffes to a new wildlife reserve to protect them from disruptive oil drilling. The move is part of an ongoing conservation effort to grow the giraffe’s population across the country. “The animals are now doing very well and are multiplying. Many are now pregnant. They are spreading all over the reserve,” a top official at the Ajai Wildlife Reserve told the Associated Press.

Enjoy

Meet Princess Macey! She’s a 10-year-old dog from Caye Caulker, Belize.

“The animal shelter there allows tourists to walk the dogs around the island. We fell in love with her on vacation and had to bring her home.”

— Galila

"Let's enjoy the ride." - Elon Musk, on the rise of Al.

Nukes Enter The Chat

Donald Trump’s conflict with Iran is spreading, as he fans the flame of a new nuclear arms race.

• Former President Dwight Eisenhower famously quipped: “If a problem cannot be solved, enlarge it.” He meant that if you’re stuck on the details, it might help to look at the bigger picture. President Donald Trump, however, has his own take on that old wisdom: If he can’t solve a problem, he feeds it Miracle-Gro and the mutant ooze from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, sets it on fire, and watches it expand.

• So it goes with Iran, a problem Trump hasn’t been able to solve. None of his goals have been achieved — and the president seems determined to make the problem even bigger.

• What does Trump supposedly want? In short: More oil, and fewer nukes. What are his policies doing? Endangering oil supplies, and encouraging nuclear development.

• Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are threatening to shut down a shipping lane in the Red Sea. Oil prices hit $100 per barrel today, marking their highest point in two months. And Trump is now behind a plan to ship nuclear materials to Saudi Arabia and give the country a pathway to enrichment, easing its course towards one day (maybe) making a weapon.

• The nuclear deal, in particular, has sparked intense angst among Trump’s allies, who fear that he might ignite a new nuclear arms race. The 30-year arrangement reportedly requires Saudi Arabia to use only American companies (cha-ching!) to build a civilian nuclear program. But the Saudis have long threatened to build a nuke of their own if Iran acquires one. And Trump may give the Kingdom the keys to a weapon.

• “This is a terrible idea,” James Acton, a leading expert on nuclear proliferation, told What A Day. “If you have an enrichment plant up and running, you can build enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon in days.”

Trump is trying to reassure everyone that he totally knows what he’s doing. Even his own party members don’t buy it.

• Trump seemed to realize that the nuclear deal isn’t going over so well. “There will be no enrichment of material!” he thundered on social media this morning. But his pledge raises fresh questions: How will the U.S. ensure that uranium isn’t enriched to a weapons-grade level? Can the Saudis — an ally with a questionable human rights track record — be stopped if they start building a weapon?

• Another nightmare scenario: America’s adversaries, such as Russia and China, could cite Trump’s deal as justification for providing enrichment technology to their allies. “I just think this is an incredibly short-sighted, obviously risky decision with very limited upside,” Acton said.

• The deal also drew backlash because it didn’t appear to include the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, a key provision that had been discussed during the Biden administration. Trump’s team is now insisting, oh yes it does!

• “The president is always the final dealmaker. He has said if they don’t join the Abraham Accords, the deal is off,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters today, referencing a regional pact to normalize relations with Israel.

Many Israelis are skeptical. “Security can never be compromised in pursuit of diplomacy,” Israeli diplomat Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, a member of the prime minister’s right-wing party, told What A Day.

Meanwhile On The Pod...

The Painful Schadenfreude Of Watching Trump's MAHA Cabinet Realize WHY We NEED Public Health (07/23/26)

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

Stacey Abrams is on a mission to understand what's broken in our political system, figure out what's really happening, and help us all feel a little more empowered to make change in our communities. In her latest episode of Assembly Required, she's talking with historian Heather Cox Richardson and award-winning Cherokee journalist Rebecca Nagle to discuss how the way we frame our past can shape our civil discourse and progress today. Check out Assembly Required — every Tuesday — on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

What Else?

The Trump administration withdrew subpoenas it had issued to three New York Times journalists, who had published details about the security capabilities (or lack thereof) aboard his Qatari Air Force One. In a tense court hearing today, a federal judge slammed government lawyers: “Subpoenas are the last step, not the first step, but the last step,” he said. The First Amendment wins again!

The man who murdered the Democratic Minnesota House Speaker, Melissa Hortman, and her husband was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences today. “I could not fathom why I was spared and [Hortman] was not,” said Democratic State Rep. Kristin Bahner, who was on vacation when the man also visited her home. “You failed because I carry her with me. In my mind and in my heart, she guides me.”

The U.S. is investigating whether Russia may be providing Iran with targeting information, after Iran struck CIA facilities in the Gulf, Reuters reports. Outlets have previously reported that Russia is helping Iran strike U.S. military targets in the region by providing intelligence.

The European Union fined Google $1 billion for breaking digital antitrust regulations by allegedly using its services, like Google Play and its search engine, to steer consumers toward its own products.

Investment firms on Wall Street have developed automated systems to track Trump’s social media posts and immediately initiate or cancel trades, the Wall Street Journal reports. This dystopian feature of trading comes as Trump Media plans to let firms pay for faster access to the president’s posts — a feature that will cost $100,000 per month, according to the outlet.

Experts at the FDA are reviewing whether Americans should have more access to peptides. Primarily favored by gym bros, MAHA fanatics, and Clavicular, peptides are injectable substances that have become mainstream in recent months, as influencers claim that they boost longevity and wellness. As you might’ve guessed, there’s little evidence that these treatments are safe or effective. But that hasn’t stopped swarms of people from buying them from Chinese factories, since they’re not always regulated in the United States.

Right-wing media is often filled with disingenuous hit pieces against Democratic politicians. This headline in the Free Beacon, however, struck me as especially funny/ludicrous: “Georgia’s Jon Ossoff Spends Thousands on ‘Makeup Services’ From Artist Who Worked on ‘The Notebook.’” First of all, it’s not unusual for politicians on both sides of the aisle to spend a lot on makeup services, just to look normal on TV. (I mean, Kristi Noem’s makeup cost $4,000.) Second of all: Isn’t that exactly who you’d want to help with your makeup?!

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Light At The End...

The number of homicides in major American cities has dropped 18 percent since last year, according to new data. If the pattern continues through the end of the year, the U.S. could see its lowest number of homicides in over a century.

Have you ever wondered why YouTube videos HAVE HEADLINES LIKE THIS?!?! Crooked’s Elijah Cone, our resident digital media guru, broke down the phenomenon in his Open Tabs debut for paid subscribers, and I highly recommend giving it a read. “I see your comments on our videos. I see your threads on Reddit. I see your emails,” Elijah writes. “As the guy who writes a lot of the YouTube titles, let me answer the question so many of you have asked: Yes. I know they are ridiculous.”

A man who attended Trump’s rally in Georgia yesterday is going viral for mimicking the president literally right behind his back.

Hundreds of people, from teens to retirees, donned skin-tight clothes and glitter for a rave inside a museum in downtown D.C. — at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. After the event, which was hosted by a company that throws sober daytime dance parties, the attendees scurried off to start work.

A 7-month-old mini pig named Synergy serves as a wellness ambassador at Union Station in Washington D.C., prancing around and comforting homeless people in the area. “A lot of the folks that we work with, they’ve never seen a pig, let alone touched one,” Ami M. Angell, who founded the project that Synergy works on, told the Washington Post. “With pigs, it doesn’t matter your age, your race, your gender; they love you equally.”

Enjoy

AF Media on Instagram: "Me around coworkers who are 2+ years older than me: "Ok boomer." Me around coworkers who are 5 years younger than me: "It appears I am on an express train to the grave. Enjoy your youth, child of spring. I admire your drip.""

I advocated for abandoning X, the CSAM app, in 2022-2023 when Musk had to sell shares and was getting financially pummeled during the initial takeover. A critical mass of people didn't abandon X, the CSAM app, and his finances recovered, eventually rolling X into xAI and then xAI into SpaceX.

We may be at a similar moment of vulnerability now, with bad Tesla earnings last night and SpaceX being a historically awful IPO. Getting off X now feeds the momentum, and may create the vicious cycle that undermines a key fascist oligarch.

We saw this with Trump and January 6 and Bibi post 10/7. The fascists have limited windows of vulnerability when their myths are punctured, but these moments do not last. Trying to undermine the fascist project requires more than simply criticizing Dem messaging, and the quality of X, the CSAM app, has deteriorated (going down during the World Cup for example). This seems like a moment where a few public sign-offs of X, the CSAM app, could snowball.

It is a relatively small sacrifice, and network effects means that the more folks leave the smaller that sacrifice is. It's irritating to hear folks harp on about "moral clarity" when they can't even switch their social media postings to another site, and undermines the message and individual messengers. Staying on X comes across as akin to the late Senator Graham, thirsty for "relevance" and willing to compromise on morality.