Reading the YouTube Comments
A fun no-no
Good Morning:
Here is the schedule for the first three meetings of the #MARA (Make America Read Again) book club. There seemed to be a bit of a dispute among the Greek Chorus as to whether the club should convene on weekdays or on weekends, so we will do some of each and see what people prefer over time. We will meet in the evenings, so that West Coasters have a chance to attend. We will convene in the usual studio location. Here are the first three meetings:
August 25, 7:00 pm Eastern time, with Mike Feinberg: We will be discussing Ben Macintryre’s “A Spy Among Friends” and John LeCarre’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”
September 25, 7:00 pm Eastern time, with Alicia Wanless: We will be discussing Alicia’s book, “The Information Animal” and V.E. Schwab’s “The Invisible Life of Haddie LaRue.”
October 26, 7:00 pm Eastern time, with
: We will be discussing Holly’s book, “The Missionary Kids” and Barbara Kingsolver’s “The Poisonwood Bible.”
A reminder that these are paid-subscriber only events, so please consider very carefully whether you want to click this button:
Yesterday on #DogShirtTV, the estimable
, the estimable , and I refined the plans for the book club. We also discussed what wines would pair best with our chosen books and took suggestions from the Collegium on the subject. Then the estimable dropped by with some questions about historical immigration atrocities in the US.The Situation
In Tuesday’s “The Situation” column, I unpack Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s lies regarding “Russiagate” and argue that her statements are consistent with Trump’s strategy for responding to scandal: retconning the narrative as a witch hunt and redirecting the attention of the president’s supporters onto political adversaries.
Decoded for the mainstream information consumer, Trump and Gabbard are saying this: We know you’re mad, but if you give oxygen to these allegations, you’ll be helping the people who have been after Trump the entire time he has been fighting for you against the Deep State. You’ll be siding with Obama and Comey and Brennan and effectively admitting that they were right all along. So we’re reminding you who the bad guys are. We’re reminding you that Trump is the guy who stands against them. We’re reminding you that they are treasonous. And we are asking whether you are sure you want to be on their side?
Yesterday On Lawfare
Compiled by the estimable Mary Ford
How Washington Could Leverage Its Gulf AI Deals
Marianne Lu and Nick Shafer explain that Washington must capitalize on President Trump’s artificial intelligence (AI) agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to enhance U.S. AI interests.
For one, these agreements present a chance for Washington to secure concessions from the Gulf states. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have ambitious AI agendas but lack access to high-end chips—something only the United States can currently provide at scale. Chinese firms, by contrast, are limited in both the volume and the quality of chips they can produce due to export controls on advanced chipmaking tools. The recent AI deals therefore offer Washington a pathway to translate its semiconductor leverage into more strategic gains.
Report Outlines Contributions of Inspectors General Fired by Trump
Caroline Cornett analyzes the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee report on the firings of Inspectors General (IGs) by President Trump, which found that the 19 fired IGs’ contributions to the federal government far exceed that of the Department of Government Efficiency.
The report makes a numbers-based, evidence-backed case for what most observers can already see: The value-add of IGs dwarfs that of DOGE. By providing tangible examples of how IGs improve the efficiency and integrity of the federal government, the report offers insight into the costs of losing these valuable public servants. With Trump and his associates’ history of eliminating watchdogs, using his office for self-enrichment, wasting taxpayer dollars, and punishing his political enemies, having independent, empowered IGs may be more important than ever.
Podcasts
On Lawfare Daily, Scott Anderson speaks with Shashank Joshi about Europe’s weaning reliance on the U.S. for security. Anderson also speaks with Iris Ferguson about the Arctic's strategic significance for global security.
Documents
Mary Ford shares the Trump administration’s AI action plan.
Today’s #BeastOfTheDay is a hawk trying desperately to communicate by perching atop an appropriate sign.
In honor of today’s Beast, try jumping onto a stop sign the next time someone is irritating you. It may not get them to stop, but it will be funny.
Reading The Comments
You shouldn’t. It’s bad for you. Don’t read YouTube comments.
But, if you’re me,
, possessed of insatiable curiosity and no self-control, you read them anyway, and sometimes, they’re funny. This comment from yesterday, for instance:Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
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