Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama:
- Aug 11 – RIP – Anas al-Sharif
Related:
– The Brainrot of a Nazified Society – Bettbeat
The bitter irony: those who weaponize accusations of 'antisemitism' are themselves engaged in the most literal form of Aryan supremacist antisemitism against Semites.
– The BBC Helped Kill Anas al-Sharif. Its Reporting Will Kill More Journalists – UNZ
– ‘Legitimization Cell’: Israeli unit tasked with linking Gaza journalists to Hamas – 972mag
Treating the media as a battlefield, a secretive army intelligence squad scoured Gaza for material to bolster Israeli hasbara — including questionable claims that would justify the killing of Palestinian reporters.
– With Arson and Land Grabs, Israeli Settler Attacks in West Bank Hit Record High (archived) – NY Times
– Israeli minister announces plans for new West Bank settlement to 'bury' idea of Palestinian state – Sky News
- Aug 11 – Trump Extorts Companies To Pay Taxes On Exports
Related:
– Trump administration reportedly mulls investing in Intel to bolster national security – Tom's Hardware
– Palantir might be the most over-valued firm of all time What would make it worth buying? (archived) – Economist
- Aug 12 – Ukraine – Russian Troops Breach Into Second Donbas Defense Line
- Aug 15 – "The Ukrainian Soldier … is just not there."
Related:
– Ukraine scrambles to roll back Russian eastern advance as summit takes place – Washington Post via MSN
– In Ukraine, swarms of Russian drones and missiles are transforming combat – CS Monitor
– Russian Forces Advance in Pokrovsk, Vuhledar, Kostiantynivka – Military Affairs
- Aug 12 – Some Thoughts On The Upcoming Summit
- Aug 16 – Summarizing The Summit
Related:
– How Decades of Folly Led to War in Ukraine (long) – Compact– Russia decree opens door for Exxon return to Sakhalin-1 project – Reuters
– Putin-Trump talks shift focus from ceasefire to peace deal – Asia Times
– Trump Backs Plan to Cede Land for Peace in Ukraine (archived) – NY Times
– Trump drops ceasefire demand for Ukraine war, tells allies Putin wants land – Washington Post via MSN
– Trump Bows to Putin’s Approach on Ukraine: No Cease-Fire, Deadlines or Sanctions (archived) – NY Times– Outline emerges of Putin's offer to end his war in Ukraine (dubious) – Reuters via MSN
– ‘Stab in the back’: Kyiv reels as Trump embraces Putin’s terms (archived) – Financial Times
Abrupt shift in Washington’s stance triggers alarm and sense of betrayal in Ukrainian capital
– Europe is sending heavy hitters to Washington alongside Ukraine’s president to bolster Kyiv – Politico
European leaders are on an all-out push to forestall Oval Office conflict at a crucial stage in diplomacy to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.
—
Other issues:
Britain going full pro-Nazi:
- Putin has cemented Russia’s status as a great power. Europe should be terrified – Telegraph
The time for flabby European compromise must come to an end. We can’t always rely on Uncle Sam to rescue us - Ukraine has lost. Britain must now prepare for Russia’s next onslaught – Telegraph
- Putin fears him — 20,000 Ukrainians want to fight for him (archived) – The Times
After a childhood brawling in the streets and a divisive career in far-right politics, Andriy Biletsky is building a formidable corps with a cult fanbase - Europe now needs to step off the sidelines on Ukraine (archived) – Financial Times
If EU leaders genuinely believe Kyiv’s independence matters, they must deploy combat troops to guarantee any ceasefire
A.I.:
- A.I. as normal technology (derogatory) – Max Read
The future of A.I. is more Facebook, not jobs in space - AI Hype Is the Product and Everyone’s Buying It – Truthout
AI’s flaws and dangers are glaring, yet the industry keeps growing, fueled by fantasies and fears of missing out. - How Does GPT-5 Work? – Ed Zitron
- Is AI hitting a wall? (archived) – Financial Times
OpenAI’s underwhelming new GPT-5 model suggests progress is slowing — and competition is changing - GPT-5: Has AI just plateaued? – Asia Times
- OpenAI’s Waterloo? [with corrections] – Gary Marcus
Post GPT-5, the narrative has flipped — and that could hurt them - LLMs’ “simulated reasoning” abilities are a “brittle mirage,” researchers find – Ars Technica
Chain-of-thought AI "degrades significantly" when asked to generalize beyond training.
Media:
- Are Bellingcat and the OCCRP 'Independent' Media? – Lucy Komisar
- Chris Hedges, Nick Bryant, and the Total Collapse of Journalistic Standards – Michael Tracy
Russiagate:
- Classified Leaks Back in Focus in Russiagate Investigation – The Racket
Senator Adam Schiff is the latest name to be dragged in to the ongoing Russiagate probe, but he likely won't be the last - Russiagate Releases Lifting a Veil on Surveillance State Abuses – The Racket
The latest revelations in the Trump-Russia mess increasingly point toward severe systematic abuses, indicative of a true police state - As Trump and Putin meet, new evidence that 'Russian interference' was US intel deception – Aaron Maté
In Dec. 2016, the NSA complained that it was denied access to the intelligence used to accuse Russia of hacking and leaking Democratic Party emails. US intel chief James Clapper urged "compromise."
Use as open (not related to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine) thread …