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America has the strongest military in the world and our geographic position between two oceans and two allies gives us added advantages. But the battlefield is changing dramatically and new tactics and technologies are leveling the playing field, making even powerful countries vulnerable to inside threats from outside actors. Traditional military might doesn't provide the same advantages it used to and the threats we face exist far below the protective layer a golden dome might offer. "The spectacular surprise attacks that Ukraine and Israel have pulled off against their enemies suggest just how serious such penetration can become. In Operation Spiderweb, Ukraine smuggled attack drones on trucks with unwitting drivers deep inside of Russia, and then used artificial intelligence to simultaneously attack four military bases and destroy a significant number of strategic bombers, which are part of Russia’s nuclear triad. Israel created a real pager-production company in Hungary to infiltrate Hezbollah’s global supply chains and booby-trap its communication devices, killing or maiming much of the group’s leadership in one go. Last week, in Operation Rising Lion, Israel assassinated many top Iranian military leaders simultaneously and attacked the country’s nuclear facilities, thanks in part to a drone base it built inside Iran." Thomas Wright in The Atlantic(Gift Article): The Trojan Horse Will Come for Us Too. It's a bad time to be losing many of our best and brightest minds in the government and to be losing our focus on actual threats while we fight invented ones. As Wright explains, "Those responsible for homeland security should not be chasing laborers on farms and busboys in restaurants in order to meet quotas imposed by the White House. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are giving Americans a glimpse into the battles of the future—and a warning. It is time to prepare."
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She Said, He Shred
It's worth noting that among those who don't think the administration's top military and intel appointees are up to the task is the man who appointed them. When confronted with recent statements from National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard who recently stated that the US intel community did not believe Iran was close to having a nuclear weapon, Trump responded, "I don’t care what she said." And she's not the only one he's not interested in hearing from. "As Trump faces a critical decision about whether to join Israel’s military strikes against Iran’s nuclear program, perhaps the most momentous of his presidency, neither Gabbard nor Hegseth are playing starring roles as members of Trump’s inner circle of advisers." WaPo: Navigating Iran crisis, Trump relies on experience over star power. (But the final decision is up to Trump, which should worry you.)
+ White House: Trump to make a decision on whether to attack Iran 'within two weeks.' It's incredible he's going with the two weeks thing again. A two week deadline given to Putin recently passed and he's been saying things are coming in two weeks since early his first term. (Infrastructure week is still coming in two weeks.)
+ As Trump and his advisors deliberate over whether or not to get directly involved in the Iran-Israel war, the two sides have accelerated their attacks. An Iranian missile hit an Israeli hospital, after which Israel's defense minister said that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "can no longer be allowed to exist." Netanyahu says the Israel's efforts are "ahead of the schedule we set — both in terms of timing and results." Here's the latest from Times of Israel, NBC News, and The Guardian.
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Daughter in Law
"For a few weeks after the president’s announcement, I actively feared for our safety. At one point, my chest ached so badly I thought I was having a heart attack. I booked consultations with a financial adviser, a family-law attorney and a global relocation specialist. I stayed up late, scrolling on my phone, researching countries we could flee to, developing a detailed escape plan. And then I realized, this is exactly what our state legislature wanted. Fear. Spectacle. Submission." NYT (Gift Article): My Daughter Was at the Center of the Supreme Court Case on Trans Care. Our Hearts Are Broken.
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Egg Rolled
"The hens were unaware of the heist. They had done their part: the shuffling around, the squatting down, the gentle plop! to release one perfect orb, ready to be tucked into a carton and shipped to the grocery aisles and diner griddles and breakfast tables of America. Before the product of their labor was an item on a police report, it was a shipment headed from Maryland to Florida: 280,000 brown eggs, sizes large and extra large." WaPo(Gift Article) on one of the weirder crimes in a decidedly weird moment in America. The Great Egg Heist. "The trucker had been awake for almost 24 hours. Thinking his job was done, he said, he decided to lie down in the cab of his truck while the eggs were unloaded. He fell asleep. When he woke up, it was dark. The people were gone. The eggs were gone." (This is disturbingly close to how Father's Day brunch played out at my house.)
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Extra, Extra
Surgical Strike: "The bans and restrictions were motivated by a commitment 'to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standard of national security and public safety through our visa process,' the State Department official said." And what better way to protect us than to prevent medical residents from entering the country. Trump Travel Restrictions Bar Residents Needed at U.S. Hospitals. "The American medical system relies heavily on physicians from other countries. One in five U.S. physicians was born and educated overseas." Meanwhile, the US will now review social media for foreign student visa applications. How long until they start reviewing social media for Americans to decide who can stay?
+ Food For Thought (And Eating): "Middle East peace, climate change, Ukraine — if Sisyphus were assigned one of today’s global problems, he’d plead to be returned to rock rolling. So let’s focus for a moment on a global challenge that we can actually solve: starvation." It's not expensive. We've gotten pretty good at it. So why end these programs just to be cruel? Nick Kristof: This Problem Is Easy to Solve.
+ Droidian Slip: One of ChatGPT's popular uses just got skewered by Stanford researchers. "Chatbots like ChatGPT should not replace therapists because of their dangerous tendencies to express stigma, encourage delusions and respond inappropriately in critical moments." (OK, so then chatbots shouldn't replace good therapists.)
+ Tesla Chainsaw Massacre: "Something similar to DOGE’s steep staffing cuts has been playing out at Tesla. About a third of the executives who stood onstage with him two years ago have left Tesla or been ousted. Many other high-profile company leaders have resigned. Just since April, Tesla has lost its head of software engineering, head of battery technology, and head of humanoid robotics. Tens of thousands of rank-and-file employees left last year amid waves of mass layoffs. At the end of the day, Tesla is the Musk show." The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Tesla Brain Drain.
+ Read Allowed: "Read, 45, was accused of killing John O'Keefe in January 2022 by hitting him with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die in the snow after a night of heavy drinking. Her defense team blamed O'Keefe's fellow law enforcement officers for killing him in a house fight and dragging his body outside, then tampering with evidence in order to frame Read." In a closely watched case that will likely result in multiple documentaries and Netflix limited series, Karen Read's second murder trial ends with an acquittal.
+ Go Jump in the Lakers: "The Buss family is entering into an agreement to sell majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter for a franchise valuation of approximately $10 billion, sources told ESPN on Wednesday, the highest ever for a U.S. professional sports franchise."
+ Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in The Theater: "Fifty years ago, Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” terrified moviegoers. Its shocks still reverberate. Its blueprint is now so recognizable that you have probably seen 'Jaws' — even if you haven’t actually seen 'Jaws.'" How ‘Jaws’ Made a Template for the Modern Blockbuster. And the two musical notes that changed Hollywood forever.
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Bottom of the News
"The driver tested negative for alcohol, the police added. The police did not identify the driver but released a photo of him, standing by the vehicle and dressed in a suit, talking to a police officer. According to the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, the man was in a state of confusion." A Man Drove a Car Down Rome’s Spanish Steps. It Did Not Go Great.