OPEN THREAD: Hump Day.

MY LATEST SUBSTACK COLUMN: Scary AI and Scarier Not-Scary AI.

As always, if you like these essays, please take out a (preferably paid) subscription. I will thank you, and my family will thank you.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: Apex announces Comet satellite bus for constellations.

JEFFREY CARTER: Down to the Banana Republics. “A judge just ruled that Trump’s tariffs are not kosher with him. . . . This same court, and these same businesses and states, were okay with Biden/Obama and anyone else charging tariffs. Hence, it’s political.”

Maybe there’s a legal principle that can explain this. But there have been so many examples like this that people have stopped assuming propriety on the part of the judiciary. That’s unfortunate, but it was inevitable once a significant number of federal judges started positioning themselves as part of the “resistance,” and once the Supreme Court — and in particular, Chief Justice Roberts — decided not to put an end to this right away.

AND AGAIN: Federal Court Blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs.

FASTER PLEASE: Anti-Aging Cocktail Extends Mouse Lifespan by About 30 Percent.

All of this stuff is going to come around just too late to do me any good, isn’t it?

JESSE SINGAL: What Happened When I Asked ChatGPT To Pretend To Be Conscious: I’m trying not to sound hysterical, but… everything is about to drastically change forever.

GOOD, SCARE THEM MORE:

Former Israeli hostage says the terrorists were “very scared” of Trump.

“More food, treated me better, stopped cursing me, stopped spitting on me.” pic.twitter.com/tgGk9Wqm5E

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 28, 2025

SO MAKE SURE THEY CAN’T: Erasing All Doubt Dems Fully Intend to Restrict You to Their Plantation the Second They Can. “I believe they are going to try to ride Trump out.”

I THINK HE’S MOSTLY RIGHT. I’M ALWAYS SURPRISED HOW IMPRESSED SOME PEOPLE ARE WHEN I CAN PERFORM ORDINARY PHYSICAL TASKS AS AN ACADEMIC.

I don’t think academics realize how useless most people think they are.

They don’t genuinely hate them, and often have a gentle respect for most. However, they think they’re not equipped to deal with the world, and certainly not tell them how to live their lives.

They only…

— Chris Arnade 🐢🐱🚌 (@Chris_arnade) May 28, 2025

Related:

This is a real failure to model the minds of working class people. They don’t feel inferior to academics. Rightly or wrongly, they really do have the impression that academics are studying increasingly stupid things. They have a sense that academics may be smart in some narrow… https://t.co/uMdXZwkZK7

— wanye (@wanyeburkett) May 26, 2025

FUN GIFT: Magnetic Fidget Pen – Stress Relief Toy & Multifunctional Writing Pen. #CommissionEarned

CHANGE: Young men are binge drinking less than young women for the 1st time. What’s going on?

Why young men are drinking less is still up for debate, notes study author and University of Pittsburgh internist Dr. Bryant Shuey. Though he sees the declining rates of binge drinking among young men as a “public health success,” Shuey wonders if it’s more complicated than a pure win. “Are young people happy, socially connected and drinking less, or is it that middle-aged and young men are more lonely, less social and less willing to call up a friend for drinks,” he says. “There’s potential that there is a tradeoff here: Less alcohol and more loneliness, and we need to think about addressing both.”

Or maybe they’re just broke.

GREAT MOMENTS IN PRIORITIES: DC Airport Celebrates Pride Month Amid Series Of Plane Mishaps.

Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) has announced its celebration of 50 Years of Pride amid recent safety concerns following a deadly crash and other incidents.

In the wake of a fatal January crash that killed 67 people and multiple collisions and other incidents, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and DCA both made an announcement to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pride in Washington, D.C.

“Join the momentous celebrations as the nation’s capital is painted with pride, featuring a variety of events to inspire, empower and connect the international LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) community and their allies,” the DCA announcement read.

Still though, could be worse timing:

And worse still:

MORE LIKE THIS, PLEASE: Top 6 Vehicles with the Best Physical Controls: In an automotive landscape increasingly dominated by touchscreens, these six 2025 models stand out by prioritizing intuitive, satisfying physical buttons and knobs.

OUT ON A LIMB: Reliance on ‘Renewables’ Makes Widespread Blackout Nightmare More Likely.

CLEAN YOUR KEYBOARD: Solareye Compressed Air Duster – 180000RPM Electric Air Duster. #CommissionEarned

THE ARC OF HISTORY IS BENDING TOWARD FREEDOM: Poland Sets Gun Ownership Record, Argentina Drops Minimum Age: Another reminder that the right to keep and bear arms is a universal right. “While we disarm narco-terrorist gangs and organized crime, we celebrate the fact that good citizens can access weapons as legitimate users. Empty speeches are a thing of the past. In this government, we are making the right of Argentines to protect themselves and live in freedom a reality.”

THAT’S GONNA LEAVE A MARK: Gad Saad Gently Shreds Kyra Sedgwick’s Anti-Trump Fears. “This is the stuff I so often talk about when I discuss parasitized minds as being the most dangerous force of nature… This is a functioning human being who supposedly does not suffer from a mental illness, although one could argue that baffling imbecility could be a form of cognitive impairment.”

IMPEACH PRESIDENT AUTOPEN: The Biden Autopen Scandal May Be Getting Worse.

I would say, “How much worse can it get?” but, you know, let’s not dare them.

FINANCIAL AID FRAUD IS A BIG PROBLEM. “[F]inancial-aid fraud remains quite easy to commit and is rising at an alarming rate.” Yeah, it probably was easy right until this guy blew the whistle on it. Dangit, how come I always learn about the good scams only after it’s too late?

STAY SAFE: AOSU Security Cameras Outdoor Wireless, 2 Cam-Kit, No Subscription. #CommissionEarned

WITH PURPOSE AND ENTHUSIASM: How California Has Destroyed Its Middle Class.

While the Trump interregnum has slowed the march of neo-feudalism in the rest of America, in California, the plan continues to move relentlessly forward. If you’re extremely wealthy, California’s abusive cost of living is not a big concern, and you stay for the scenic beauty and abundant sunshine. If you’re extremely poor, you stay because California’s taxpayer-funded assistance programs—financial aid, food assistance, healthcare, and other support services—offer a lifestyle orders of magnitude better than what you may have previously endured in the barrios of Tegucigalpa or the suburbios of Maputo.

But if you’re not rich, and you’re not poor, but just work, pay taxes, and pay for everything you need with after-tax earnings and without government assistance, California is a hostile environment. The numbers on out-migration are unequivocal. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an astonishing 8.5 million people have moved out of California since 2010. In 2023 alone, the last full year for which estimates are available, 690,000 people left. In 2022, 818,000; in 2021, 841,000. No other state has sustained anywhere near this 15 years of unrelenting mass exodus.

There’s plenty of “churn” in any state’s population, as people move around the country. But California’s churn in large part is middle-class Americans moving out and poorer Americans and foreigners moving in. The percentage of Californians living in poverty increased nearly 50% this century, to 18.9% in 2023 from 12.9% in 2000.

AS ALWAYS, LIFE IMITATES THE BABYLON BEE:

Shot:

Chaser: “Germany offers to host Harvard ‘exile campus,’” the London Telegraph today:

Harvard University could establish an “exile campus” on German soil in response to Donald Trump’s attempts to purge the institution of alleged Left-wing tendencies, Berlin’s culture minister has suggested.

This week, the US president tried to block the US’s oldest university from enrolling any more international students by ordering his embassies to pause student visa interviews. It followed efforts to cancel the university’s funding after it refused to remove diversity policies.

Wolfram Weimer, Germany’s culture minister, told Bloomberg News: “I suggest that Harvard University establish its own exile campus in Germany. Our country stands for freedom of art and the press, for quality of studies and openness, discourse and diversity.”

Harvard has long been partying like it’s 1939 — why not make it official?

SHOCKING NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF SCIENCE: New study: Teen drivers safer with more practice.

THE STATE OF NORTH MICHIGAN? Is Canada Now Interested in Becoming the 51st State?.